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Please double-check the big list of all pop culture references in Warcraft before adding a reference; while attempts are made to keep them in alphabetical order, they may not be. Most importantly, please note that this page is split into the classic game and its two expansions. Additionally, references to movies that are based on books might be listed under 'Literature' instead of 'Movies' and vice-versa, and the movie you are thinking of could just be referencing another work, too. Those might be mentioned in the case of very popular ones, but it will be listed under the original reference.

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Contents

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Games

Assassin's Creed

The 6th quest in the rogue-only legendary quest chain introduced in patch 4.3 is named "Assassinate Creed." This is an obvious reference to the game series, and the stealthy nature of most missions involved in those series.

Banjo-Kazooie

At the Kaja'mite Caverns in the Lost Isles starting area, the Pygmy Witchdoctor inside will on occasion say random phrases. One of them is "Eekum Bokum!" which is a catch phrase of Mumbo Jumbo from the Banjo-Kazooie series.

Bioshock

At Krom'gar fortress players encounter an NPC named Large Daddy which is a reference to Big Daddy from the Bioshock series.

Portal

When doing the quest [81] A Bone to Pick, you are asked to kill King Gurboggle, and in an oyster next to his throne, you can see the Aperture Science Weighted Companion Cube.

Halo/RedvsBlue

A Dragonmaw camp in the Twilight Highlands is named Bloodgulch and features a lazy orc named Griff.

Joust

The achievement Beware of the 'Unbeatable?' Pterodactyl and the quests leading up to it are all a reference to the arcade and NES game "Joust".

In Menethil Harbor, the two dwarves, Hargin Mundar and Junder Brokk, are sitting on a sand bag in front of the inn having a back and forth discussion about a flood that they'd had in Ironforge, in which Jundir explains that Hargin trapped himself in a channel (which can be a common mistake for players not minding where there dwarves are placed during construction) and then dug out into the dining hall to escape, flooding the room with water and carp (a very dangerous and well known fish in the Dwarf Fortress universe).

Zero Wing

One of the new released Guild Perks in 4.0.1 is called For Great Justice, which is an obvious reference to the 'All your base are belong to us' opening from Zero Wing, which concludes with that sentence. That opening is well known as an Internet meme.

Altered Beast

The Winterspring quest Altered Beasts is a direct reference to the arcade side-scroller, "Altered Beast", released in 1988 by SEGA.

Starcraft II

The Mount Hyjal Quest "In the Rear, with the Gear" is a reference to the common soundbite made by Terran SCVs.

Diablo

Aggro sound of Admiral Ripsnarl, boss in Deadmines instance, "Ah, fresh meat!" is probably a reference to a boss in Diablo, The Butcher. When encountered, The Butcher says the same words, but with other, more demonic voice.

Movies

300

The quest [84] Madness is a reference to the scene when the negotiator is thrown into a bonfire. "This is DRAGONMAW!"

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

On The Lost Isles, near Town-In-A-Box, you get a quest to use a submersible shark robot to fight an elite mob. One of the abilities of the robot has is called "Freakin' Laser Beams", referencing Dr. Evil's wish to have sharks with freakin' laser beams attached to their heads.

Hackers

In Uldum, the quest "Hacking the Wibson" is a reference to the end plot of Hackers. Whereby all of the "users" attempt to hack the "Gibson", A super-computer that can supposedly cause a mass of destruction.

Indiana Jones

The Alliance Archaeology trainer, Harrison Jones, is a direct reference to the explorer , "Indiana Jones", and the character who plays him, "Harrison Ford". *You will see many, many, many different references to the various Indiana Jones movies throughout all the zones where you come into contact with Harrison Jones.

Minority Report

The Val'kyr in Silverpine forest, Agatha, Daschala, and Arthura, are named after the three "Precogs" in the movie Minority Report, Agatha, Daschal, and Arthur.

Office Space

On the mercenary ship, and during quests in Vashj'ir, there are 2 NPC's named Mack and Samir. These 2 NPCs now placed together appears to be a reference to Peter's coworkers Mike Bolton and Samir Nagheenanajar

What About Bob?

On the mercenary boat during the starting questline that takes you from Stormwind to Vashj'ir there is an NPC named Budd on the boat. He starts singing "I'm on a boat... and I'm sailing!". This appears to be a reference to the scene in What About Bob? where the deeply anxious and neurotic Bob is tied to the mast of a boat, and shouts toward the shore, "Dr. Marvin! I'm on a boat... and I'm sailing!"

Spaceballs

During the quest Get Back to Town, you are given an enormous helmet that belongs to one of the Oomlot pygmies, named "Dark Tan Helmet". This appears to be a reference to Dark Helmet from Spaceballs.

Starship Troopers

During the quests in Bootlegger Outpost, you are given a quest to "Wrangle" a Swarmer bug. When you turn this quest in, it is placed before Zeke Bootscuff and then Narain Soothfancy comes over and "telepathically" sees what the bug is thinking. Then they both yell "It's scared!". This leads into the quest titled: "Just Trying to Kill Some Bugs".

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

The Pygmy Witch Doctor in the Kaja'mite Cavern on The Lost Isles says "Taronto Bosch" at one point during his chanting. This appears to be a quote of C3PO in RotJ when he is telling the story to the Ewoks and is talking about the Hoth battle.

Predator

After the quest "To The Cliffs" on the Lost Isles, Kilag sends you to Scout Brax on a mounted companion. Once you accept the quest "Get To The Gyrochoppa!" Scout Brax yells "Get to the Gyrochopper! Do it now!" which is a reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie "Predator".

Zoolander

There are multiple references to Zoolander in the Goblin starting area of Kezan.

There are some "supermodels" that are having a gasoline fight.

There is a part where an NPC runs up and says to another NPC "So-in-so is so hot right now!"

Clarissa Refers to a large broken robot as "Mr. D". This is a reference to the Little Sisters calling there Big Daddies "Mr. B".

In the description for the quest Dream of a Better Tomorrow Clarissa says "Would you kindly bring Mr. D's stuff back so he can teach those baddies in the Alliance a lesson?" This is a reference to the phrase "Would you kindly" forcing the player to do whatever was asked of them in Bioshock.

The quest Dream of a Better Tomorrow is named in reference to the strong theme of Objectivism in Bioshock. It could also reference Andrew Ryan's building of Rapture to fulfill his dream of a better tomorrow.

Clarissa will scream things like "Make 'em sorry for hurting you, Mr. D!" or "Break their bones!" while the player is Piloting Mr. D. This is a reference to the violent encouragements Little Sisters often scream while their Big Daddies do battle in Bioshock.

The monster Kaganishu, found inside a cave system in northern Borean Tundra, has a name reminiscent of Rakanishu, a Fallen guarding the Cairn Stones in Diablo II. His followers say his name as they attack, much like all Fallen in Diablo II.

There is a flower merchant in Dalaran named Aerith Primrose. Aerith is a reference to Aerith Gainsborough, a major character of Final Fantasy VII, who wears a pink and red outfit similar in appearance to that of this NPC, and is also a flower seller.

The achievement Friend or Fowl? requires you to kill 15 Turkeys in under 3 minutes. Once you kill 15 of them, masses of Angry Turkeys will spawn and chase you down attacking you. This is a reference to The Legend of Zelda series as this same event occurs in many of the games; as you attack Cuccos over and over, masses of Cuccos will swarm in and attempt to kill Link.

In Un'goro Crater, there was an NPC gnome named Linken, who must regain his memory and has you undergo various quests to find his lost equipment as well as defeat an elite fire elemental. This refers to the games ongoing pattern of gaining bonuses and defeating bosses. Unfortunately, the quest line was removed with Cataclysm.

The achievements I Choose You, Runemaster Molgeim (10/25), I Choose You, Steelbreaker (10/25) and I Choose You, Stormcaller Brundir (10/25), all for the same boss encounter, may be a reference to a phrase used in the Pokémon franchise, however in the Pokemon franchise the name usually comes before the "I choose you!" statement.

The Borean Tundra questgiver, Mootoo the Younger, is a reference to the Pokemon Mewtwo. This is further enforced by various psychic related quotes during the quest [68] Escaping the Mist, as well as the npc's similarity in eye shape to the Pokemon's.

The Cooking Achievement [The Cake Is Not A Lie] is a direct reference to the game Portal. The phrase translates to a reward which is fictitious and was popularized by the game Portal found on Half-Life's Orange Box release. In the game, you are part of a study group controlled by a computer that attempts to motivate you to complete a series of tests involving a new device created by Aperture Science.

A sewer shark named "Segacedi" is located under the poison vendor in the sewers of Dalaran. This is a reference to the game Sewer Shark, released on the Sega CD add on for the Sega Genesis, also known as the Mega CD in European and Asian markets.

During the boss fight in Pit of Saron, Scourgelord Tyrannus shouts "Power... overwhelming!". This is a quote from the Protoss Archon unit in Starcraft, as well as the game's cheat command for invincibility.

On occasion, the Scarlet Peasants in the death knight starting area will say "I picked the wrong week to quit drinking" which is a memorable quote from Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges). He also substitutes "drinking" for smoking, sniffing glue, and amphetamines.

The comment on the buff icon when riding the [Magnificent Flying Carpet] says "Don't you dare close your eyes!" which is a quote from the song "A whole new world" sung in Disney's Aladdin, while Aladdin and Jasmine are riding the flying carpet.

The same reference goes for the buff icon when riding the [Frosty Flying Carpet] that says "A new fantastic point of view!", which is also a quote from the song "A whole new world" sung in Aladdin

The quest This One Time, When I Was Drunk... refers to the constant anecdotes starting with "This one time, at band camp..." told by Alyson Hannigan's character Michelle in the 1999 teen comedy American Pie.

The achievement Shop Smart, Shop Pet...Smart refers to the S-Mart slogan repeatedly used by Ash: "Shop smart, shop S-Mart!" (It is more likely that this is a reference to the old slogan for the Pet Store named PetSmart)

The achievement Hail to the King, Baby refers to one of the final lines from Ash to Sheila before kissing her.

In Grizzly Hills, there are four NPCs located near each other with interesting names. These NPCs in question are one adult female deer named Mother of Bambina, a younger female deer named Bambina, a skunk named Flora and a small rabbit named Thudder. These four are clearly a reference to Bambi.

A hunter will come out and shoot Mother of Bambina, exactly what happens in the Disney film Bambi.

Whenever "Mother of Bambina", "Flora", and "Thudder" are killed, "Bambina" turns into "Vengeful Bambina" which makes her hostile to anyone and gives her a buff called "Bambina's Vengeance", increasing all her damage dealt by 2000% and attack speed by 150%.

A questgiver named Donny in Howling Fjord gives the quest [70] Out of My Element?. This is a direct reference to the character named Donny (played by Steve Buscemi) in The Big Lebowski. Several times in one of the major scenes, Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) tells Donny "You're out of your element!"

There is an NPC named Walt at the Explorers' League Outpost who gives the quest [71] Iron Rune Constructs and You: The Bluff in which he says: "Walt at the Explorers' League Outpost in the Howling Fjord wants you to use the Iron Rune Construct's Bluff ability on Lebronski after you've walked on his rug". This is a clear reference to The Big Lebowski. In the movie, Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Lebronski) is visited by 3 thugs. One of them relieves himself on "The Dude's" rug, and several references are made about the rug through-out the movie. Also, after you've completed all the quests Walt has to give, when you open his chat window he says "The Dude over yonder is pretty upset about his rug". Phone's Ringin' Dude!

The [Red Rider Air Rifle] is an item obtained during the Winter Veil 2009 event. It is a reference to the Red Rider BB gun that the main character, Ralphie, wants for Christmas. The rifle will sometimes "backfire" causing the player to become stunned for a short period of time. The debuff is called Right in the eye! which is an obvious reference to the movie.

During the Death Knight starting quests in Acherus, at the early stage of creating your first rune blade, a book can be read near the runeforges with the text "This is my runeblade, there are many like it but this one is mine." This is an obvious reference to the mantra the Marine recruits are ordered to recite in Full Metal Jacket: "This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine". (Although this could be a movie reference, it could just as well be to The Rifleman's Creed of the U.S. Marine Corps.)

At the forge in Warsong Hold, the Grand Master Engineering trainer is named Chief Engineer Leveny, after Shelly Levene, one of the salesman in the real estate office, played in the movie by Jack Lemmon. The Goblin Siege Engineer's complaints about tools is similar to the complaints of the real estate salesman in the film complaining about their leads: "These tools are junk!" and "How do they expect us to craft with these things?" They also ask about a meeting they are being made to attend, which turns out to be with Blakelow, who abuses the engineers ("You call yourself a crafter, you son-of-a-gnome?") and challenges them to a crafting contest ("As you all know, first prize is a [Turbo-Charged Flying Machine]. Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize is some [fused wiring]. Third prize is YOU'RE FIRED!"), ending in an exortation to "Always be crafting!" similar to a speech in the film by Alec Baldwin.

During the Horde version of [74] The Battle For The Undercity, when you clear to the outer ring of the Undercity, Varimathras yells "Clever girl..." at Sylvanas. This is a direct quote from the film version of Jurassic Park. Just before Robert Muldoon is killed by velociraptors, those are his last words.

In the quest [71] Absholutely... Thish Will Work!, which you get in Howling Fjord, you're asked to give a Vrykul prisoner a plague cure. Eventually, he explodes and one of the guards says "I didn't know they could do that." In the movie after one of the vampires explodes one of the characters says "You didn't tell me they could do that. I didn't know they could do that."

Arthas, as the Lich King, bears a near perfect resemblance to the Witch-king of Angmar as depicted in The Return of the King.

In the quest [80] It's All Fun and Games, you're asked to destroy the The Ocular, which floats above Shadow Vault's spires. The Ocular bears a strong resemblance to the eye of Sauron atop the tower of Barad-dûr from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King film.

The Lich King's helmet has spikes on the top like those on Sauron's. The Lich King and his undead minions want to kill all living things not under his power, just as Sauron wants his army to take down all living things not under his power.

Angrathar the Wrathgate appears to be based on the Black Gate of Mordor the only major way of getting into Mordor, and in World of Warcraft Angrathar is the only real entrance into Icecrown. They are also both of the same design, made of a black metal with spikes coming out, and feature a large battle outside them.

During the quest [72] Projections and Plans, if you stand in the enter of the floating platform on the Glittering Strand area of Dragonblight, you'll see the falling symbols in the same effect as the opening title sequence in the Matrix: Reloaded. Before or after this quest, your character stands on a shield that prevents you from standing on the platform.

After defeating the Black Knight (whose name is taken from this film), you get the achievement It's Just a Flesh Wound, which is a reference to the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Black Knight gets his arm cut off and says the line "It's Just a Flesh Wound".

The quest [70] Zedd's Probably Dead is a reference to the movie Pulp Fiction. It is the name of one of the pieces of music from the movie, and also a character named Zed who gets killed, after which Bruce Willis's character exclaims 'Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.'"

Scourgelord Tyrannus shares the Sith name of Count Dooku from the Star Wars franchise. Also, both serve a dark master (Lich King and Emperor Palpatine respectively)

The quest [50] Echo Three is a reference to Star Wars: Episode V. The quest giver asks you to check on a sensor that was set up to inform Everlook of the yeti movements in the area. When you interact with the box, it teleports you into the depths of a cave. You will be hanging upside down in a chunk of ice. A "raid warning" will appear telling you to chop the ice to free yourself. When you do, you drop to the floor and there is a huge yeti named Icewhomp who you have to kill. "Echo three to Echo seven; Han ol' buddy, do ya read me?" -Luke Skywalker, Star Wars Episode V

The item Zod's Repeating Longbow has "Kneel before him" in the flavor text. This is a reference to the movie's main villain, General Zod, who makes the President of the United States (and later tries to make Superman) bow before him with the phrase, "Kneel before Zod."

Jelinek Sharpshear, the goblin proprietor of the StormwindBarber Shop, was named "Sween Neetod" in the Wrath of the Lich King beta. The skeletons of his victims are still hidden beneath a floorboard on the second story of the shop, next to his trusty razor.

In the quest [74] The Battle For The Undercity, King Wrynn says "I know what evil lurks in the heart of orcs", a take off from the comic book, movie, and radio program called The Shadow. His catch line, which still has its place in the American Lexicon, is "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men".

In Howling Fjord, you receive a quest called [71] It Goes to 11... which is a reference to the movie This Is Spinal Tap, in which the guitarist is asked why he doesn't just make 10 louder on his amp, he replies "But it goes to 11...".

Going along with this reference, the achievement in Pit of Saron named Doesn't Go to Eleven refers to the same quote about the amp, this time joking that it doesn't go to eleven.

In Wintergarde Keep, during the quest [72] Flight of the Wintergarde Defender, your character says "Come with me if you want to live". This is a running line from The Terminator series. Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn[1] tells this to Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton[2] in the first movie. In the second movie, a terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzennegger[3] repeats this line to Sarah Connor, while in the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles[4] the line is reprised by Summer Glau[5] in her role as Cameron Philips, a terminator modeled after captured freedom fighter Allison Young who was sent back (of course) to protect John Connor.

The description for the warrior talent Bladestorm is inspired by a quote from Kyle Reese when he tries to explain the threat posed by the Terminator.

In Utgarde Pinnacle at the very beginning of the instance within the room with all the gold, jewels and gems with skeleton mobs, to the left just as you walk in is the terminators endoskeleton arm. Miles Dyson used that arm to make the neural-net processor for Cyberdyne Systems Corporation who later developed Skynet, the military system that launches a nuclear strike and wages war on human life in the future.

When Macalroy in Valgarde offers the "Hell has Frozen Over" quest, he says "Report to Vice Admiral Keller just northwest of here and let him know that you're all out of bubble gum" which is a reference to the 1988 movie They Live[6] in which the character Nada, played by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper[7] announces "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum"[8]

Television

In Howling Fjord at the Explorer's League quest hub, an NPC named Walt gives you two quests. One is called "We Can Rebuild It" and the other is called "We Have the Technology". In the old TV show The 6 Million Dollar Man, there's a character named Dr. Walter Ellis. Also, the memorable quote from the show was "We can rebuild you, we have the technology."

At the Scalding Pools, nearby Fizzcrank Airstrip, the Fizzcrank Mechanognomes can be seen saying: "The flesh is weak. We will make you better, stronger...faster.". This is another quote from the show's introduction.

One of the clerks in the shop Sisters Sorcerous in Dalaran is named Endora Moorehead. On the 1960s TV show Bewitched, the mother of Samantha Stevens was named Endora, and was played by Agnes Moorehead. Another sister, Hagatha Moorehead, probably refers to Samantha's (seldom-seen)aunt Hagatha. No word on where her other aunt, Enchantra, has got to.

The fishing achievement, Deadliest Catch, is probably a reference to the popular Discovery Channel television program of the same name.

In Tol Barad Peninsula, there is a killable NPC named Captain P. Harris, an Undead Pirate style character surrounded by small crab, a direct mention to the recently passed Alaskan Crab Fishing Captain Phil Harris (fisherman)

The entirety of the Mechagnomes is a reference to the Cybermen. The way they're made by "Decursing" gnomes (similar to the way the Cybermen "Upgrade" people), the way Gearmaster Mechazod considers what he's doing to be a gift of immortality, to a few of the Mechagnomes quotes are all indications to this.

Chromie talks to you in the same manner as the Doctor, she'll tell you she met you many times before when you first meet Chromie in Andorhal, but when you skip the Intro in Culling of Stratholme once you've beaten it before, She'll make a statement similar to the Doctor's due to her constant time traveling of claiming she's never met you before, this directly reflects the relationship between the Doctor and River Song who live in reverse time lines.

In [75] Mystery of the Infinite In the same fashion as "the Doctor" who likes to give out a quirky bit of advice to someone who'll be important in the future that makes no sense to anyone but the Doctor, Future You will say to you the following...

Future You whispers: Listen. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there's going to be this party that you're invited to. Whatever you do, DO NOT DRINK THE PUNCH!

In Amber Ledge of Borean Tundra, Initiate Mehrtens sells an item which you can use to torture a previously captured mage. One of the lines he says is "Are you trying to meet the real me?", a reference to a line Mal says while being tortured in the episode War Stories, and this line, as the whole torture, is in turn a reference to the works of Xiang Yu.

In Amberpine Lodge of Grizzly Hills, Saffron Reynolds can be found on the upper floor; she is a reference to Saffron, a con artist who was briefly married to Mal Reynolds. She is a poison vendor, a hint to how she drugged up Mal with a poison on her lips. Next to her is Yolanda Haymer, another name later used by this woman.

In the harbor town of Venture Bay located in Grizzly Hills, you can find a male human NPC named "Grizzly" D. Adams with a bear cub by his side. This is a obvious reference to the original movie The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams which later became a TV series.

The Alliance Cooking Grandmaster Trainer in Dalaran is named Katherine Lee, a reference to Katie Lee Joel, the host of Season One of Bravo TV's hit series Top Chef and a cookbook author. Some people mistakenly believe this is a reference to Kathie Lee Gifford, who actually has nothing to do with cooking.

The Horde Cooking trainer in Vengance Landing is named Thomas Kolichio. A clear reference to Top Chef Master Judge Tom Colicchio.

A book in Acherus: The Ebon Hold (the Lich King's floating necropolis and starting area for Death Knight characters) lists various Death Knight trainees and their fates. The player's character is named on the last significant page with a note saying "Need more cowbell", a reference to a Christopher Walken sketch that the development team must have really, really liked.

In Badlands, in the town Fuselight-by-the-Sea there is an npc on a hill next to the questgiver to direct you to Fuselight, who is standing in front of a small crowd of engineers. His name is Cramer and his "weird" hairstyle bears a strking resemblance (as well as the anaglamation of his name) to the goofy character Kramer from Seinfeld.

In the Death Knight starting area, the quest " [55] Nowhere To Run And Nowhere To Hide" sends you to kill Mayor Quimby, an obvious reference to Joseph Fitzgerald O'Mally Fitzpatrick O'Donnell "Joe" Quimby, better known as "Diamond" Joe Quimby, the mayor of Springfield. The title of the quest is also a possible reference to the KISS song "Nowhere to Run," though it could also be a reference to the song "Slaughter your World," which is part of the LookingforGroup comic by Ryan Sohmer and Lar Desouza.

In the Borean Tundra while questing for D.E.T.A you ride one of the neutral mammoths in the area, once mounted the Mammoth's name appears as "Stampy" a reference to Bart Simpson's pet elephant of the same name.

The achievement Crazy Cat Lady (10/25) is most likely a nod to the series' infamous Crazy Cat Lady, which is in turn a reference to the stereotype of old women who own or shelter a lot of cats. There is also a woman in Elwynn Forest called Donni Anthania who has the title <Crazy Cat Lady> - another reference to this character and the stereotype.

[Unblinking Eye] might be a reference to one of the Stonecutters' initiation rituals in Homer the Great (which all, except the last one, consist of the blindfolded initiate being paddled on the ass by a line of people)

In Howling Fjord, the Valgarde defenders are armed with rifles. Before killing approaching NPCs they yell "It's coming right for us." A reference to an early South Park episode dealing with the Second Amendment. It was explained that with the new changes in government you could only fire your weapons in self defense, therefore, hunters could legally shoot anything by claiming self defense, but only after yelling "It's coming right for us."

The PvP achievement Make Love, Not Warcraft is a reference to the South Park episode of the same name, where the South Park gang play World of Warcraft. The achievement requires you to the same thing that Stan did to his dad before he died.

Xevozz in Violet Hold sometimes says "Profit!" when killing a player. This 'slay' line is the third of three in the game files. This is a reference to the Unterpants Gnomes and their business plan.

Sailor Picardo and Sailor Philips, deckhands of the Kraken (the boat that ferries Alliance players from Stormwind to Valiance Keep) are likely to be references to actors Robert Picardo and Ethan Philips, who played the characters of The Doctor and Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager.

In Borean Tundra, there are gnomes called Fizzcrank Mechagnome. While they are fighting you they say "We are Mechagnome...resistance is futile" and "You will be assimilated or eliminated." This is of course a play on the Borg.

Datalore Smallsphere, a Gnome trades good seller who resides at Harkor's camp in Grizzly Hills, is a reference to the 'twin brother' androids, Data and Lore, created by Dr. Soong.

One of the phases of Mimiron is named "V-07-TR-0N", a reference to the anime robot Voltron. Additionally, the achievement title And I'll Form the Head! gained when looting Mimiron's Head is a quote from the show.

It is also interesting that the Jewelcrafting mounts introduced in Mists of Pandaria come in 4 colors (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green), and then a fifth (Black) which can only be crafted with the original 4 mounts as mounts. This is clearly a direct reference to Voltron.

In Dragonblight are two NPCs named Agent Skully (a female Forsaken in disguise) at New Hearthglen and Deathguard Molder (a male Forsaken) at Venomspite. These two are obvious reference to the two main characters of X-Files — Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.

Zena<Wodin's Warrior Kitten>, the pet of Wodin the Troll-Servant at the Amphitheater of Anguish in Zul'Drak is a reference to the series and its main character. Additionally, Woden (Odin) is a norse god, while Xena once was a favorite of Greek war god Ares.

Music

Farmer Torp at Warsong Farms Outpost gives you a quest called "Bring 'Em Back Alive", which is also the title of a song on Audioslave's self-titled debut album. (It is at least as likely, though, to be a reference to the 1930 Frank Buck book, or the 1932 movie, or the 1982 Bruce Boxleitner TV series, all of which have the same title.)

Avatar of Freya gives you a quest called "Returned Sevenfold". Also, one of the rewards from this quest is called "Signet of the Avenging Heart". Taking parts from the title and the reward, you end up with the name of the band. However, it's also very likely that it's a reference to the Book of Genesis, in which God states that Cain (after he is banished from Eden) will be avenged sevenfold if he is harmed.

Prior to The Cataclysm, Commander Ashlam Valorfist could give you the quest "All Along the Watchtowers," a direct reference to the Bob Dylan song, in which you were required to light the watchtowers in Andorhal aflame.

In the Death Knight class starting area, when Death Knight NPC's are spoken to they may utter the phrase "suffer well", which could be a reference to the Depeche Mode song "Suffer Well' from the album "Playing the Angel".

Bronjahm <Godfather of Souls> is the first boss of the Forge of Souls dungeon. Besides 'Bronjahm' being a corruption of the name, James Brown was known as the 'Godfather of Soul'. In addition, the game music changes to a more upbeat melody when the boss is engaged, and his loot and an achievement for his heroic mode are references or direct quotes of song titles.

In any Cooking Daily Quests you will receive a "Small Spice Bag" for your trouble. In these bags you have a chance to get an item called "Baby Spice" which "Reduces the target's size by 50% turning them into a baby". This is a reference to Emma Bunton, one of the girls in Spice Girls, better known by the name Baby Spice.

Literature

Deathbringer Saurfang's enraged quote, I have become...DEATH!, is a reference to this Hindu scripture. This particular quote was made well-known from its usage by J. Robert Oppenheimer upon observing the detonation of the first atomic bomb, where he said "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".

The crazed dwarves in the Howling Fjord's Whispering Gulch speak of "that which must not be named". While it could be a reference to Harry Potter (see above), it might also refer to The King in Yellow from the Lovecraftian worlds together with the various tomes of "Things Men was Not Meant to Know" found therein.

The Faceless Ones (such as Herald Volazj) are quite similar to descriptions of Cthulhu, and are at least influenced by the mythos. Sometimes they also say "Shur'nab... shur'nab... Yogg-Saron!", which is a reference to Shub-Niggurat, another God from Lovecrafts Pantheon.

The achievement In His House He Waits Dreaming (10/25) is a reference to a ritualistic chant of the Ctulhu cult: "In his house at R'lyeh dead C'thulhu waits dreaming."

Pretty much all lore associated with the Old Gods is an obvious homage to Lovecraft.

During the Feast of Winter Veil in-game holiday, you receive a daily quest, "You're a Mean One...", where you must go to Hillsbrad Foothills and kill "The Abominable Greench". This is a play on Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas".

The crazed dwarves in the Howling Fjord's Whispering Gulch speak of "that which must not be named". This is a reference to the main antagonist of the Harry Potter novels, Voldemort, who was referred to as "He Who Must Not Be Named".

References to the Norse Mythologies are numerous throughout Northrend: The Vrykul are reminiscent of Norsemen (AKA: Vikings), their beliefs in fighting for the Lich King and being chosen is similar to dying in battle and going to Valhalla, where the Val'kyr serve the same role as the Valkyries, albeit in an evil fashion. The two Titan Pantheons, Aesir and Vanir, are references to the pantheons of Gods in Norse myth, the Æsir and the Vanir. The Titan watches of Azeroth, Loken, Thorim, Freya, Hodir and Mimiron, are base off of Loki, Thor, Freyja, Hod, and Mimir respectively, and their stories and backgrounds are all fairly similar.

For the quest [71] Parts for the Job, you have to purchase a [Fresh Pound of Flesh] from the travelling salesman Anton. In The Merchant of Venice, the merchant Antonio guarantees for a loan of his friend Bassanio from the Jewish moneylender Shylock, who hates Antonio and demands "a pound of flesh" cut from the merchant's body should he be unable to repay the loan in time. When Antonio's ships are lost at sea, he goes bankrupt, but the removal of the pound can be prevented. The Forsaken Anton, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any problems giving away "fresh" flesh.

Comics

In the new expansion, three characters have been introduced bearing names similar to those of the popular fantasy webcomic, Order of the Stick[9]. These characters include Big Roy, Cavalier Durkon, and Haley Copperton.

In the sewers of Dalaran, beneath some pipes and near some glowing green ooze, there is a rat surrounded by four baby turtles, an obvious reference to Splinter, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

In Dragonblight, during the quest Slay Loguhn, you are tasked with killing a Wolvar named Loguhn. This mob's name is a sound-alike to Logan, the civilian identity of Marvel X-Men's Wolverine character. The presence of blade-talon fist weapons (bone claws) on Loguhn's hands further enhances their similarity.

Element 115, a quest item in [74] Riding the Red Rocket, has been given the temporary name Ununpentium, and is considered to be in the center of an "island of stability" in the midst of volatile elements. To date (29 Jan 2009) the most stable isotope, Uup-299, has not been synthesized.

Iron Eyes, a taunka NPC in Taunka'le, is named for Iron Eyes Cody. Cody is best remembered as the 'crying Indian' in the 1970s series of antipollution commercials sponsored by Keep America Beautiful. Iron Eyes gives the [71] Cleaning Up the Pools, asking the player to help remove discarded machinery from the nearby geyser pools.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

Classic fairy tales

One of the random Opera Event encounters in Karazhan is The Big Bad Wolf, where the boss is the wolf, who gives a Little Red Riding Hood debuff to players, transforming the player into a red-cloaked fast-running gnome. This event is a reference to the children's classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood.

After respawning, Captain Arathyn says "I love the smell of nether in the morning. It smells like...victory" — one of the more famous quotes from above movie, originally "napalm" instead of "nether", said by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore.

Outside of the Skyguard Outpost in Blade's Edge Mountains, the Skyguard gear up for their flight on the Bash'ir Landing about every two hours. During their pep talk, the Skyguard Lieutenant asks "Anyone have any questions?" to which a Ranger replies "Look, man, I only need to know one thing, where they are." This is a direct quotation from the 1986 movie Aliens where the Marines are getting a briefing from their Lieutenant and Private First Class Jenette Vasquez chimes in cockily with the above quote.

When engaged, the rare spawn Voidhunter Yar in Nagrand says "In the void, no one can hear you scream!"

In the Blizzard website promoting the new Arena Tournament, the promotional pictures show a female blood elf named "Boomer" fighting against a draenei warrior named "Apollo" as well as a rogue canamedlled "Gaius", in reference to the Battlestar Galactica characters Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, Lee "Apollo" Adama, and Gaius Baltar.

[The Seal of Danzalar], which drops in Serpentshrine Cavern, is a reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The phrase "From beneath you, it devours" comes from a reference in the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; it translates to the gateway to the Sunnydale Hellmouth. The item's name is a play on "The Seal of Danzalthar" which is the name of the seal that covers the Sunnydale Hellmouth.

The Blood Elf female laugh is meant to reference the catchphrase of Doctor Blight from the TV series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Also, the image that displays next to the health bars of Blood Elf females in your party that are outside your visual range bears a distinct resemblance to the Doctor.

In the Inn of Honor Hold, there is a questline which ends with helping a draenei exorcise a human lying on a bed. During this exorcism, the human body floats through the room and the draenei asks you to make sure nothing interrupts the process. Flying demon mobs spawn in the room which you have to destroy. During this whole sequence, the demon possessing the human also insults you and tries to scare you off with odd noises. Occasionally the body will vomit green stuff.

At Wildhammer Stronghold, outside the inn, you will find two dwarfs: Barimoke Wildbeard and Bron Goldhammer. They have a routine that starts of with "Bron! 'Ey, Bron! Hit me!". This is a reference to the first fight between the narrator and Tyler Durden.

Shark Bait is an item pickpocketed off of various naga in Outland as well as the Isle of Quel'Danas. This is taken directly from the nickname given to Nemo by his fellow tankmates. The picture used for Shark Bait is also a Clownfish, just like Nemo. The quote "Just keep swimming..." was part of a catchy phrase said throughout the movie by Dory, voiced by Ellen Degeneres.

In Zangarmarsh, the engineering Grandmaster K. Lee Smallfry<Grand Master Engineer> is a reference to the character Kaylee Frye, the engineer on the show. Her dialog includes the word "shiny", a common adjective for "good" used on the show.

The non-combat pet [Captured Firefly] has the flavor text "Still flying..." which is a line from the show.

During Brewfest, one of the beers you can purchase is Mudder's Milk, which is from the episode 'Jaynestown'.

The reagent vendors in Ogri'la and the Lower City are named Mingo and Fanty, after the twins who engage Mal to perform the robbery from Serenity's opening sequence. While these characters in turn are references to thugs from the 1955 The Big Combo, the NPCs more likely reference the former.

[Strange Engine Part] and [Broken Engine Part], which are fished randomly from pools of Steam Pump Flotsam in Zangarmarsh, bear the description: "It reads 'Capissen 38' on the bottom." This is a reference to Kaylee Frye's line in the film "Serenity:" "Don't ride in anything with a Capissen 38 engine, they fall right out of the sky." [Strange Engine Part] starts an Alliance quest that you turn in to K. Lee Smallfry.

In the Sun's Reach Harbor, the Innkeeper Caregiver Inaara<Innkeeper> is a reference to the Companion character Inara Serra, a character portrayed by the Brazilian-American actress Morena Baccarin. Her face and outfit looks also very similar to the series' character.

In the Apothecarium area is a large, stitched together thing that periodically blorps a load of the green funk that fills the Canals, vaguely reminiscient of the Slurm Queen's behind in the episode "Fry & The Slurm Factory"

Outside The Exodar, a small black cat called "Nibblet" can be seen walking around. This is probably a reference to the monkey/cat-like pet alien "Nibbler" from the show.

In the Blood Furnace instance of Hellfire Citadel, the first boss, The Maker drops Girdle of the Gale Storm. This is probably a reference to Gale Storm, an actress/singer from the 1940s and 1950s. She is best known for starring in the television comedy series My Little Margie, and she probably wore girdles like most women of that period.

The Blood Elf NPC speech "Death to all who oppose us!" (when left-clicking on either male or female) may be a reference to a character in the final story who says the beforementioned after the main antagonist of the film turns him and his people into ruthless killing machines.

The sword [Gladiator's Greatsword] is indicated to be built to "Proximo's specification" in the item description. Proximo was the slave trader/former gladiator who bought Maximus and trained him as a gladiator.

There is an NPC in the Zul'Aman instance named Harrison Jones, an obvious reference to starring actor Harrison Ford and his role as the title character. In his dialogue, he accuses the player of only wanting to acquire Zul'Aman's treasures for themselves, instead of taking them to a museum where they belong, in his opinion (which is one of Jones' main motives for his expeditions).

The Skyguard folk at Skyguard Outpost occasionally say "Player is an officer and a gentlewoman/man." This is the same thing Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" O'Houlihan says in the M.A.S.H. play — but note that "X is an officer and a gentleman" is a common military catchphrase in English. Hence the name of the movie, An Officer and a Gentleman

In the draenei city of Shattrath, The Alliance Arathi BasinBattlemaster is named "Adam Eternum" in reference to the popular Masters of the Universe character "He-Man", whose real name is Adam. He also has a Zulian Battle-tiger as a pet, in reference to his tiger, Cringer. He also appears with a gnome behind him called "Oric Coe" in reference to Orko. When you talk to him, Adam Eternum says:

"I came to Outland hoping to discover powerful artifacts to assist the League of Arathor against the Defilers in Arathi Basin... but all I've found is this smashing magical loincloth, a ridiculous gnome sidekick, and an egomaniacal undead stalker who insists I've stolen his grey skull, or some such. In any case, would you care to join the League in their fight while I continue my search?"

Eternum's Horde battlemaster counterpart, Keldor the Lost, continues the reference to Masters of the Universe. "Keldor" was the identity of He-Man's arch-nemesis, prior to his transformation into the evil Skeletor. Being undead, Keldor the Lost's hood, glowing eyes, dark blue attire, and skull-tipped staff all bear a striking resemblance to Skeletor. If you speak to him, he will say:

"I have travelled far in my search of a way to ultimately defeat the League of Arathor in the Arathi Basin, but that Lion-clothed lummox, Adam Eternum hounds my every move! Still, if slayers like you would return to Azeroth, perhaps we could defeat the Alliance once and for all!"

The Netherstorm Agents in Area 52 are all dressed in tuxedos resembling the business suits from the Men in Black comics and film. They also carry the huge guns that Tommy Lee Jones equipped in the first film. The fact that they guard 'Area 52' is appropriate, as it is a take on 'Area 51'.

When you leave 'Area 52' you will be hit by a flash of light and you receive a buff called A-52 Neuralyzer whos tooltip say "The flash of light you did not see did not erase your memories". This is a reference to the "Neuralizer" device that the Men in Black used to erase and alter the memories of the people who saw an alien.

In Nagrand there is a quest given by Saurfang the Younger called Once Were Warriors, could very well be directly related to the popular New Zealand Film by the same name. The emotions described within the quest text seem to confirm this more. Saurfang not returning to his home could be describing Jack in the film (the main male character of the film), Jack (like the quest giver) has abandoned the ways of his past and is not returning to them (that being the ways of the Maori).

The Arcane Portals found throughout the game, most easily found in the Wizard's Sanctum, at the The Mage Quarter in Stormwind, uncannily resembles the Stargate itself. Its circular, large structure mimics it; the liquid-like consistency of the "opening" is exactly like the "event horizon" of an active Stargate and the Glyphs covering the ring resembles the carvings that indicates gate-addresses.

Episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft": Though [The Sword of a Thousand Truths] was fictional at the time of the South Park tribute episode, a sword with the same name but with different, less overpowered stats, was supposed to be made available in The Burning Crusade. The name Salzman in the item's description is also a reference to the character Salzman, an accountant in that episode. However, [The Sword of a Thousand Truths] did not make it through to The Burning Crusade's final release, the item was replaced by [Gladiator's Greatsword] sadly this item was crafted to Proximo's specification instead of Salzman. [The Sword of a Thousand Truths] was available as an arena reward during The Burning Crusade beta while the [Gladiator's Greatsword] exists as an arena reward in the live version of The Burning Crusade.

Episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft": Ethereal NPCs near Manaforge Ultris in the Netherstorm quotes this episode saying "How do you defeat that which has no life?", referring to the Ethereum Gladiator, who's always looking for a bigger and better challenge.

Episode "Gnomes": One of the draenei Male's jokes mimics the Underpants Gnomes' plan for profit.

There is a quest in the Netherstorm called You're Hired, where you search for Etherlithium Matrix Crystals, a play on the Dilithium Matrix Crystals used to redirect energy generated in warp engines.

In Exodar, there is a group of draenei that walk around checking out the holograms, named Audrid, Curzon, Emony, Tobin and Torias. They were all hosts of the Dax symbiont in Deep Space Nine.

After completing the Netherstorm quest That Little Extra Kick, the giver and receiver of this quest (B.O.O.M. Master Mixologist Boots) dies. A goblin paramedic rushes in to stimulate his heart. After a couple of shocks, the paramedic screams "Dammit Boots, I'm a doctor, not a priest!" which is a reference to Lenoard 'Bones' McCoy's line "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a <insert profession>" from the original Star Trek series.

In Toshley's Station, there is a gnome standing to the north named Smiles O'Byron. Miles O'Brien is also referred to as Smiley in the alternate universe episodes of 'Deep Space Nine'.

Warden Treelos (Cenarion Thicket, Terokkar Forest) is a Night Elf NPC who has gone insane, and sometimes says "There are FOUR lights!", which refers to the double The Next Generation episode "Chain of Command". Captain Jean-Luc Picard is captured by Cardassians, then tortured to break his will, in order to get him to admit he sees five lights where there are actually only four.

In Booty Bay and Tanaris we find two engineers manning the teleporters named Jhordy Lapforge and Scooty, nods to Geordi LaForge for Star Trek: The Next Generation and to Montgomery "Scotty" Scott for the original series.

The cave below Manaforge Ara in the Netherstorm is named Trelleum Mine, from the mineral known as trellium in Star Trek: Enterprise.

The zone of Netherstorm has similar colors and chaotic theme as the Delphic Expanse. Prior to patch 2.4 warlocks could not summon in the Netherstorm like certain starship functions do not work in the Expanse.

On the Isle of Quel'Danas, the draenei Dragonhawk Master is named Ohura, a tribute to Uhura, communications officer on the USS Enterprise.

In Area 52 in Netherstorm there is a goblin named Chief Engineer Trep, a reference to Star Trek: Enterprise's Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker III.

In the Badlands, Lotwil Veriatus's robot Servo says "I am well versed in over 4 languages". This is a reference to C-3PO who states "I am well-versed in over 6 million forms of communication" several times.

The racetrack in the Shimmering Flats features a vehicle that is strikingly similar to the podracers found in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

The race announcer is a two headed ogre is named Fobeed referencing the two headed podracer announcer in The Phantom Menace whose names were Fode and Beed.

In the hangar in the Military Ward of Ironforge sits a dwarf pilot by the name of Xiggs Fuselighter, wearing a white and orange flightsuit, black gloves, and boots strikingly similar to that of an X-Wing pilot. This is a reference to Luke Skywalker's friend Biggs Darklighter, whom you see in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

The tooltip of the buff icon for the Priest ability Spirit Of Redemption reads "You have become more powerful than anyone can possibly imagine." which is an almost verbatim reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi's line in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Female dwarves and gnomes have a hairstyle similar to that of "Princess Leia".

In Un'Goro crater, near the exit to Silithus, there is a level 1 raptor named Obi, a reference to Obi-Wan (Obi 1).

In a quest to rescue the captured Princess Moira Bronzebeard, you find her wearing an outfit that bears a striking resemblance to Leia's slave outfit in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, as well as the same hairstyle.

In Blade's Edge Mountains there is a place called Toshley's Station. In Star Wars there was a place called Toshe Station in which Luke Skywalker went to in the beginning of one of the Movies to pick up some Power Converters. The quest "Picking Up Some Power Converters" will reward you with a Power Converter. The two descriptions on the item are both references to Episode IV: "Use: Destroys technological terror constructs." is from Darth Vader's quote "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed," and "The next best thing to going to the Academy" is because Luke's always talking about going to the Academy. The Power Converter shoots off a red rocket that many think looks like the missile Luke fires to destroy the Death Star.

Roll a Draenei and you'll eventually get a quest called "The Kessel Run" given to you by an NPC named Kessel. You don't have to do this quest in "less than twelve parsecs" like Han Solo was able to do with the Millennium Falcon, but you will have to complete this quest in less than 15 minutes.

Nearby Toshley's Station stands R3D0, a remote sentry that can speak in three different languages (Human, Gnomish, and Dwarven). This is an obvious reference to C3PO, who was able to speak six million languages. The name is also a mesh between R2D2 and C3P0, the two robots in the movie.

In the Scarlet Raven Tavern in Darkshire there is a barkeeper named "Barkeeper Han" which is a reference to Han solo in Star Wars.

In Nagrand a Clefthoof Elite Named Mob is Called Banthar. If you drop the r off the end you get Bantha, a creature very similar to a Wooly Mammoth in the Star Wars Series, Banthar also look similar to a Wooly Mammoth.

The Azuremyst Isles are filled with NPCs, quests, and items that reference to several science fiction stories, most notably Star Wars. For instance, the flight master of Blood Watch is named Laando (after Lando Calrissian). In addition to this, a quest on Bloodmyst Isle is named [12] The Kessel Run.

Toshley's Station also has a quest named, Cutting Your Teeth. The rewards from this quest include Vibro Shanker, Vibro Dagger, and Vibro Sword. These weapons are a reference to the Star Wars, Vibrosword, Vibroaxe, Vibrodagger, which in turn are inspired by other sci-fi universes of that age.

At Toshley's Station in Blade's Edge Mountains, you can find a gnome named Razak Ironsides patrolling the station's ramparts, which is a likely reference to Lieutenant Jean Rasczak played by Michael Ironside. This reference is highlighted by the fact that he is defending the outposts against Ravagers, a kind of creature resembling the insect-aliens of the movie. There is also a guard named Dizzy Dina, in reference to Dizzy Flores, played by Dina Meyer.

Sometimes an event will start at Toshley's Station, where Ravagers attack the station. As the gnome guards rush to defend, you will hear Razak Ironsides yelling various quotes from Micheal Ironside in the Starship Troopers movie: "Come on you apes, you want to live forever?", "I have one rule: everybody fights, no one quits." and "You don't do your job, I will shoot you myself.". Also, at one point he calls in for reinforcements, a group of Gnomes on Mechanostriders who are led by a robot, the group is called "Roughriders", possibly after the self-proclaimed "Roughnecks", the name that the main characters from the movie gave themselves. More likely, it is a homage to former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt's calvary unit The Rough Riders, which fought in the Spanish-American War.

In Hellfire Peninsula, there is a quest given by Foreman Biggums called A Job for an Intelligent Man that has you go out and kill sand worms in the area. This is a reference to the movie "Tremors", starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, in which sand worms out in the Nevada desert come up out of the ground and eat people. In this movie, Fred Ward asks Kevin Bacon "Is this a job for an intelligent man?", to which Kevin Bacon replies "Well, show me one and I'll ask him."

In Zangarmarsh, there is a Horde quest called "Nothin' Says Lovin' Like a Big Stinger", and the very first paragraph in the quest description reads, "She will be mine. Oh yes- She will be mine", a famous catchphrase Wayne uses when talking about Cassandra, the guitar, and other things.

Games

The sound the Felboars and Helboars of outland shriek when they aggro is strongly reminiscent of the LARD pig-cops you encounter in several areas of this game. But then again, they are all based on pig squeals.

There is a random drop in Outland that is called [The Gunblade], probably a reference to Final Fantasy VIII, where main character Squall Leonhart uses a "Gunblade" as his signature weapon. The WoW weapon, however, does not look anything like the Gunblade used in FFVIII.

There is an Elite level 62 Rare spawnsand worm in Hellfire Peninsula named Fulgorge. Both this and the previous quest reference the characters Glacius, an alien made of ice, and Fulgore, a cyborg, from the Rare fighting series Killer Instinct.

There is a quest called "To Legion Hold" in Shadowmoon Valley, where you have to spy on enemies while you are disguised as a wooden crate, in reference to the Metal Gear Solid series, where the main character Solid Snake often uses a cardboard box to move around undetected.

The Essence of Anger part of the Reliquary of Souls boss encounter in the Black Temple will shout "Beware - I live.", a quote Sinistar shouts when he is fully formed and start actively seeking the player out, in the 1982 arcade game classic Sinistar.

In the Blade's Edge Mountains, there is Gruul's Lair. In Gruul's Lair, there is Gruul, a massive cyclopean giant, and a reference to the Gruul guild in Magic: The Gathering,which was lead by the cyclops Borborygmos.

One of the Opera Events in Karazhan is the Wizard of Oz, referring to the famous children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Both the fight and the book have shared characters and costumes including the Wicked Witch, a dog named Toto, a girl named Dorothy, the Tinman, the Lion, Scarecrow, and even tornadoes.

The quest giver Hemet Nesingwary- an anagram of Ernest Hemingway- is the typical "great white hunter" found in many Hemingway stories. The achievement [Hills Like White Elekk] is a reference to Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants.

The burrower mobs throughout several zones in Outland seem to be directly based on the sandworms of Dune.

One quest in the Bone Wastes involves using an item called a "Fumper" to summon an enormous burrower called "Hai'Shulud," whose title is "The Bone Emperor", a pun on the name of the sandworms of Dune named "Shai-Hulud". The quest rewards are daggers with names based on Dune characters and weapons made from the sandworms' teeth.

The name of the tauren at the Nesingwary Safari in Nagrand, Shado 'Fitz' Farstrider, appears to be a reference to the character FitzChivalry "Fitz" Farseer, and possibly also to his mentor Chade, from Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. In addition to the similar names, Shado wears a wolfshead helm, and FitzChivalry was bonded with a wolf. (As possibly more of a stretch, FitzChivalry was a Wit or "beast magic" user, and seen by some as half-man/half-beast, a possibly fit description for a tauren.)

The Black Morass, an instance in the Caverns of Time set in what is to become the Blasted Lands, may refer to Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu", in which Inspector Legrasse, investigating reports of strange rituals in New Orleans swamplands, is described to have "plowed on through the black morass". The design of the zone itself closely adheres to Lovecraft's description of the New Orleans marshes.

During the Prince Malchezaar encounter in Karazhan he can be heard saying "Time is the fire in which you'll burn..." which is a reference to the poem "Calmly We Walk Through This April's Day" by Delmore Schwartz (the same poem is also quoted in the "Star Trek: Generations" movie).

In the same discussion between the Engineering Crewmember and Experimental Pilot at Area 52 mentioned above, the Experimental Pilot also says a line from John Denver's song "Leaving on a Jet Plane". "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go."

There is a vendor outside of the Mana-Tombs named "Slim" -- he is a <Shady Dealer>. This is a reference to one of Eminem's stage names, Slim Shady, and also to his hit song "The Real Slim Shady". Said vendor's dialog includes "No my name isn't really Slim." Thus, he isn't "The Real Slim Shady".

At Area 52 in Netherstorm, in a discussion between Engineering Crewmember and Experimental Pilot the last one says "Oh no no no I'm a rocket man" from the Elton John's song "Rocket Man". This entire conversation is comprised of paraphrased lyrics from the song—at one point, Engineering Crewmember asks Experimental Pilot why he doesn't bring his family to Area 52, to which the reply is "This isn't the kind of place to raise your kids. It's cold, and there'd be no one to raise them." This is also a reference to William Shatner's spoken word cover of the song, considering the setting of Area 52.

A pair of shoes named [Blue Suede Shoes] drop from Kaz'rogal in the Hyjal Summit event in Caverns of Time. Carl Perkins wrote a song with that name, famously covered by Elvis Presley, and the yellow flavor text on the shoes in the game "Keep Off" is a reference to the lyrics.

Otonambusi, the General Goods vendor in Azure Watch says, "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your fish?" ("Another Brick in the Wall Part 2")

Triage Quest: When performing the Triage quest for Artisan First Aid (Theramore - Alliance / Hammerfall - Horde), soldiers who you fail to heal that are about to die say "Goodbye cruel world...I'm leavin' you today...goodbye, goodbye, goodbye..." These are the opening lines of the song 'Goodbye, Cruel World' from Pink Floyd's album The Wall.

The NPC lying down in Nessingway's Camp in Nagrand is called Harold Lane, which could be a reference to Pink Floyd's Song Arnold Lane.

Trash mobs inside Auchindoun's Mana Tombs will sometimes say "If you can hear this whisper you're dying." This could be a reference to the similar message that appears in The Great Gig in the Sky off Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

A drop from Ramparts off the last boss, the plate belt Tenacious Defender has the flavor text, "It has the power... to move you" — itself a reference to their song "Wonderboy".

In the German version, this item was translated as "Die Toten Hosenträger" (The Dead Suspenders) referring to Die Toten Hosen, with the flavor text "Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist." referring to one of their songs.

At Azure Watch, there's a Hunter trainer named Acteon, who sends players on various quests to hunt down bucks and stags in the area. In Greek myth, Actaeon was a hunter who was turned into a stag as punishment by the god Artemis for seeing her bathe nude. After being turned into a stag, he was torn to pieces by his own hounds.

Also, on the road to Azure Watch form the draenei starting area, there is a fishing trainer named Diktynna, who gives a quest to gather fish with a net. This is a play on Dictynna, a goddess of fishing and nets.

In Shadowmoon Valley, there is quest called the Journal of Val'zareq: Portends of War, which leads you to the captured Marcus Aurelion <High General of the Sha'tar>. He is being held prison at Crimson Watch. This is a reference to Marcus Aurelius, an Emperor of Rome.

In the quest How to Serve Goblins, Foreman Razelcraz asks you to rescue Manni, Moh and Jakk from the Fel Orc camps. This is a reference to the Emanuel "Manny" Rosenfeld, Maurice "Moe" Strauss, and Graham "Jack" Jackson who are the founders of The Pep Boys auto parts supply chain. The :Manny, Moe, and Jack" characters were modeled after the founders.

Realm Switcher:

In the quest "The Totem of Kar'dash (Horde)", while rescuing the Mag'har Captive, he screams "FROST SHOCK!!!" This may be a reference to the famous "Switcher" video.[11]

In Nagrand, the Kurenai NPC who accepts obsidian warbeads for kurenai reputation has a name that is a reference to a popularized Cingular commercial in which a girl says to her mother, "Idk, my bff Jill?".

Games

The weapon [Wirt's Third Leg] is a reference to the character of Wirt the peg-legged boy from Diablo, and his wooden leg which you could actually pick up and wield as a weapon after Wirt's death in Diablo II.

The [Cow King's Hide] is a piece of chest armor dropped from various higher level creatures across the game world, and it refers to the 'Cow King' from Diablo II, located on the Cow Level.

The item [Naglering] is a possible reference to the "Nagelring" from Diablo II.

One of the tips displayed as the player logs in to the game is, "'There is no cow level," a reference to a popular rumor about there being a secret cow level in Diablo (after which they really DID put a secret cow level into Diablo II). The phrase "thereisnocowlevel" is also the instant victory cheat code in the Blizzard RTS StarCraft.

WoW players who purchase the Collector's Edition receive a gift coupon in-game which can be redeemed for their choice of three pets, including a mini-Diablo pet (the final boss of Diablo).

The Roguepoison ingredient [Maiden's Anguish] is probably a reference to Andariel, the poison-spewing boss of the first act of Diablo II; her "nickname" is the Maiden of Anguish.

When you talk to a Dwarf NPC in World of Warcraft, they might say "What can I do for ya?" This is the same line used by Griswold the Blacksmith in Diablo, who even had an accent similar to a dwarven one.

The Elwynn Forest area Stone Cairn Lake is an obvious reference to the five Cairn Stones in Diablo II, with which you open the portal to old Tristram.

In Un'Goro Crater, the gorillas sometimes drop an item named [Empty Barrel], a reference to Donkey Kong throwing barrels at Mario in the Nintendo arcade game and the continued importance of barrels in the Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong 64 series.

In the Horde town of Tarren Mill, located in Hillsbrad Foothills, there is an orc NPC named Krusk. Fans of Dungeons & Dragons will recognize the name as one of D&D 3rd edition's iconic characters, Krusk the half-orc barbarian.

In the Undercity, there is a NPC named Theresa that wanders around aimlessly. She is blindfolded and is a mind slave to one of the Undead characters in the game. This could be a vague reference to a blind seer of the same name in Fable (itself a reference to Tiresias in Greek mythology).

In Un'Goro Crater there is a character named Linken (a reference to the Legend of Zelda character Link) who has a bit of amnesia. You will encounter Linken by finding a wrecked raft which begins the quest It's a Secret to Everybody, named for a quote received in a dungeon in the original Legend of Zelda. This quest chain is chock full of Zelda references.

There is an NPC named Miblon Snarltooth, a reference to the Moblin enemies from the original Zelda game. You must buy a piece of ham for Miblon, which opens a gate to an [Evoroot]. In The Legend of Zelda, you must give a piece of ham to a Moblin to access another part of a dungeon.

You have to bring Linken's Training Sword to Donova Snowden in Everlook, where she'll then tell you about how the spring near her has special properties that make items better when you throw them into the spring. This is a reference to A Link to the Past where if you threw your sword, boomerang, or arrows into the fairy spring, they would be upgraded.

Near Linken there is also a Kodo named Dadanga, similar to the monster Dodongo from the Zelda series, and if you talk to its owner she will tell you that it "hates smoke", a reference to a hint given in the original Legend of Zelda that "DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE."

The same dwarves who quote Evil Dead and AC/DC while doing target practice outside of Kharanos also shout "Mortar Combat!" in precisely the same manner "Mortal Kombat!" is shouted in the soundtrack to the movie based on the videogame. (These dwarves' lines were used by the Dwarven Mortar Team unit in Warcraft III as well.)

The male troll offensive spell cast animation is identical to that of a Hadouken. (although more likely the Kamehameha from Dragonball Z which the Hadoken is based off of.)

A Tauren NPC in Camp Mojache in Feralas is named "Hadoken Swiftstrider". He gives you a quest called "Alpha Strike", which comes from the names of the Street Fighter Alpha series and Street Fighter 3rd Strike.

In Un'Goro Crater, two characters named Muigin and Larion can be found. Their names come from swapping the first letters of "Mario" and "Luigi" and adding an N. Larion, who is clad in red and blue, is based on Mario while Muigin, in green and blue, is based on his brother Luigi. Also, Muigin (Alliance) and Larion (Horde) begin quests where the player must hunt Bloodpetals, which look suspiciously like the Piranha Plants from the various Super Mario Bros. games. Upon quest completion, Muigin references previous injuries when attempting to jump on the Bloodpetals, stating, "Plants shouldn't be so strong!" Several times, Larion insists that "It's Muigin's fault we're lost!" and "He told me to take the tunnel!" This is a reference to the Super Mario Bros. movie, where Luigi tells Mario to take the tunnel which strands them in the desert.

A food item can be discovered in various sections of the game called the Red Speckled Mushroom. The image of the mushroom is supiciously similar to the Super Mushroom from the Super Mario games.

At the Darkmoon Faire, a periodic world event, there is a fortune teller who will ask you morality questions that are almost directly pulled from the morality questions asked at the beginnings of Ultimas 4, 5, and 6.

The quest Duke Nicholas Zverenhoff has the player delivering a book called Studies in Spirit Speaking. When read, the book contains a series of Os (OOOoOoo), just as the dialogue of player ghosts appeared in Ultima Online. The Os in the book also represent ASCII text in binary that reads "Ultima Online Napa Valley Knights of Chaos", referring to a player guild on an Ultima Online server. The title of the book is a reference to the game's necromancer-related skill required to understand ghosts.

In Shimmering Flats there are tire tracks that go up to a wall of rock. The tracks appear on the other side of the cliff, in Tanaris, along with the ill-fated vehicle that made the journey. This is a reference to Buckaroo Banzai's jet car, which could pass through solid matter.

One of the female Human's /silly emotes says, "I can't wait till this quest is done and I can look for another Garibaldi artifact," a reference to the Rambaldi artifacts pursued by Sydney Bristow. It has been suggested that this is also a reference to Michael Garibaldi, a character from the TV series Babylon 5 portrayed by actor Jerry Doyle.

In Stormwind, the thieves guild hall is named SI:7, assumed to be a play on both SD-6, which is the organization Sidney Bristow works for in the show, as well as MI6, which is best known as the British intelligence agency James Bond works for.

In the Mage Quarter of Stormwind, the Warlock trainers can be found in the basement of a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb. This is a reference to the pub that two lost American hitchhikers stumbled upon before their unfortunate encounter with the local werewolf in this film.

In Stranglethorn Vale, there is a boss named Colonel Kurzen, who went insane and raised an army from a small, hidden compound. This is a reference to Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando. The two Colonels' backstories are very similar. It is, by extension, a reference to Kurtz from Heart of Darkness, the novel on whose story Apocalypse Now was based.

Around Coldridge Valley there are some dwarves doing target practice. If one waits there long enough eventually a dwarf will say, "This...is my BOOMSTICK!", a reference to Army of Darkness. (This is the same dialogue used for the Dwarven Rifleman in Warcraft III.)

A troll in Sen'jin Village is named Bom'bay<Witch Doctor in Training>. In the show from the 1960s, when a witch or warlock needed help, they would call Doctor Bombay by chanting, "Calling Dr. Bombay, calling Dr. Bombay. Please come right away."

The [Six Demon Bag] is a trinket; its tooltip text says it "Blasts enemies with the power of wind, fire, that kind of thing!", quoting Egg Shen's description of the contents of his Six-Demon Bag in the film.

There is a hidden area under one of the lakes in Deadwind Pass where you can view floating corpses chained to the lake floor, a reference to the "hell of the upside-down sinners".

There is an NPC in Darnassus, Jenal<Ditch Digger>, behind one of the large trees that houses the Druid trainers, surrounded by piles of dirt. When Jenal asked Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm what his purpose in life would be, he was told that "the world needs ditch diggers too." This line was spoken by the judge in the movie when the main character Danny expressed his doubt at having enough money for college.

A quest in Un'Goro Crater is named Chasing A-Me 01 (a reference to the movie's name), and tasks the player with finding and rescuing a mechanized female gorilla from a pack of wild apes, reminiscent of Congo.

In the Mage Quarter in Stormwind, one of wandering NPC Erich Lohan's phrases is "Head on over to the Blue Recluse. Where everybody knows your name!" "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" is the Cheers theme song.

During the second boss encounter in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Lt. General Andorov makes the same threat to Rajaxx that Arnold Schwarzenegger's character Matrix made to Sully: "Remember when I said I'd kill you last? I lied."

In the Badlands there is a crypt with the corpse of the warrior king sitting on a throne and propping up a sword, referencing a story in which Conan steals an undead king's sword.

Saru Steelfury, the ArtisanBlacksmith in Orgrimmar, says (if you are qualified for Expert Blacksmithing and not Artisan) "No one, no one in the world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts ... this you can trust, Steel," which is a quote from the movie.

In the description of the Ashenvale quest Between a Rock and a Thistlefur, the quest-giver says, "<name>, we must not allow... an expansion path gap!" a reference to a line in the movie talking about a mine shaft gap.

In the Mage Quarter in Stormwind, one of wandering NPC Suzanne's phrases is "If we reverse the Essence flows perhaps we can alter the polarity." This is similar to "Reverse the polarity", which was a phrase often used by the Third Doctor.

The Quagmire is most likely named after the iconic character from Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy. This is further supported by the fact that The Quagmire's shoreline and lakes in relation to the rest of the Dustwallow Marsh is similar to Glenn Quagmire's head shape.

In the War Quarter of the Undercity there are two NPCs named after the main characters, Tyler and Edward, that fight other NPCs. The undead around them also have names from the novel and movie, such as Marla and Chloe.

In Dire Maul North, if Guard Fengus is approached in conversation (if Fengus is left alive after the player becomes the new king), he will say "You da man now, dog", referencing a line in Finding Forrester spoken by Sean Connery. The line inspired the ytmnd.com website.

A dwarven fisherman named Gubber Blump can be found on the beach near Auberdine; he is a reference to both Forrest and his friend Bubba. His dialogue is similar to both characters; he introduces himself, "My name's Gubber, Gubber Blump," and later recites a list of all the different ways to cook crab.

An Undead in the town of Brill will give you directions to the lake to the east in Lordearon, but warns you to be careful because some guy in a mask killed a bunch of people near there, referencing Jason Voorhees, the killer in the movies.

A Human named Jason Mathers stands on a small pier on the shores of Crystal Lake, and sometimes when a player asks a Stormwind Guard about the fishing trainer, they will tell that the fisherman once fished up a strange mask from Crystal Lake.

While doing the Un'Goro Soil quest as Horde, Ghede in Thunder Bluff nearly quotes Sgt. Hartman, saying: "Be advised, Jackson - I am in no mood for any comment that you think is cute or funny. I am here to make sure that the Arch Druid's research proceeds as planned, and I will weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve my beloved Cenarion Circle." When turning in the quest, he encourages you not to make any effort to help him unload the soil, and that "if the Great Spirits had wanted it done they would have miracled it up there."

The [Booterang], given in the Netherwingdaily of the same name, has printed on it the first two lines of the Rifleman's Creed. The Creed pre-dates Full Metal Jacket by about 45 years, but was popularized by this movie.

There is an NPC in the Eastern Plaguelands named Egan that gives you [Egan's Blaster]. The blaster will release the souls trapped inside the ghostly and spectral citizens of Stratholme, and then can be used again on those souls to free them. A direct reference to Ghostbusters character Egon Spengler.

There is an NPC in Deathknell named Harold Raims which spoofs Harold Ramis, one of the writers of the movie and the actor who played Egon.

In Goldshire there is a NPC named Remy "Two Times", who states "I'll give you the best price in town...best price in town!" This is a reference to Jimmy "Two Times" in the movie Goodfellas, who has a similar tendency to repeat himself in dialogue like, "I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers."

The Master Smith in Booty Bay, Brikk Keencraft, says "You think I'm a clown here to amuse you. Is that what you think? That I'm a clown? Huh, is it? You think I'm a clown don't you!" which is one of Joe Pesci's more memorable lines from the movie.

A master swordsman named Klannoc Macleod<the Islander> can be found on Fray Island near Ratchet, a reference to either Connor MacLeod or more likely the Clan MacLeod (which figured heavily in the television series) from Highlander. He is described as the "chief warrior" and carries a katana, the Highlander's weapon of choice in the film.

An Uldaman quest uses an amulet which must be fitted onto a staff and placed so that light will pass through it to open a door; in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy performs a similar maneuver to find the hidden cave in which the Ark was stored.

In Searing Gorge, there is a quest found on a wounded dwarf archaeologist named Dorius which concerns the Suntara Stones, a reference to the fictional Sankara Stones sought by Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom.

Stormwind's covert operations and military intelligence service is named SI:7, which is a reference to MI6, the organization that James Bond works for. (This could also be referring to the real British Secret Intelligence Service.)

There is a weapon called the [Hanzo Sword]. This may be a reference to the man whom the character from Kill Bill was based upon, "Hattori Hanzo", an actual ninja who was trained from childhood and first fought in combat at 16. He lived from 1541-1596.

Inside Onyxia's Lair, there is a skeleton laying near the edge of the lava pool with its arm reaching into the lava towards a shuriken. This plays homage to the scene where Prince Colwyn had to retrieve the Glaive from a lava pool.

The creature The Beast also refers to the name given to the creature who controls the slayers from the Black Fortress

Un'Goro Crater is a steep-walled valley filled with dinosaurs. Two NPCs here are Williden Marshal and Hol'anyee Marshal, direct references from LotL's characters: Marshal, Will, and Holly. Also, there are crystal pylons which use red, green, blue, and yellow power crystals, visual references to the crystals used in Land of the Lost's pylons.

In Sholazar Basin players can find a metal object that when hovered over produce the numbers '5 9 16 17 24 43', which is a reference to the hatch in lost and 'the numbers'. the numbers in Lost are '4 8 15 16 23 42'.

Gadgetzan, in Tanaris, is obviously inspired by Bartertown from the third 'Mad Max' movie. The town has a large caged dome in the center where fighting between Horde and Alliance is permitted, which is the exact same concept as Bartertown's Thunderdome. (This feature has been removed as of 1.11.)

Tanaris is a desert area that is very similar in appearance to the one in the movie (arguably, some players also contend that Gadgetzan is very similar in style to Mos Eisley in Star Wars).

Katrina Turner, an NPC in Gadgetzan, is a reference to Tina Turner and her role in the movie.

The guards in Ironforge sometimes say they wished they had taken the blue potion instead of the red potion when a player asks for the location of the Alchemist, referencing the red and blue pill that Morpheus offers Neo.

In the Covert Ops - Alpha and Covert Ops - Beta quests, the plans that Gaxim Rustfizzle gives you end by saying to destroy these pages, and mentions looking into a way to make them self-destruct after they're read. This is a parody of the opening of most episodes of the Mission: Impossible TV series where the taped instructions end with, "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds."

In the Eastvale Logging Camp in Elwynn Forest is a lumberjack named Terry Palin, who sometimes says, "I'm a lumberjack, and I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day." These are the lyrics to the chorus of Monty Python's Lumberjack Song, originally performed by Michael Palin. The song was composed by Michael Palin, Terry Jones (another member of Monty Python), and Fred Tomlinson. The NPC's name is a combination of Terry Jones and Michael Palin's names.

There is a consumable item purchasable at the Darkmoon Faire called [Crunchy Frog], a reference to the unpalatable chocolates described in the sketch of the same name.

In the Original WarCraft Series the Alliance NPC who carried wood resources had Several Gimmick Voice Statements. One Was "merely a flesh wound" witch is a reference to the movie when king Author Takes A Knight arm off with his sword

Meggi Peppinrocker in Everlook gives out the quest Trouble in Winterspring! which borrows heavily from the lyrics of Meredith Willson's song "Ya Got Trouble" from The Music Man. In the musical, Professor Harold Hill sings of how playing pool requires "judgement, brains and maturity," and how he's developed "a cool head and a keen eye." Meggi uses these same phrases and other direct quotes from the song's lyrics when talking about her experiences in the wilderness of Winterspring.

When performing the quest Triage (Alliance) for Dr. Gustaf VanHowzen, the injured soldiers occasionally say the line "...I...I think I see Blue.." This is a reference to a scene from Old School where Will Ferrell's character has been badly beaten and is slightly delirious. Once Ferrell's friend comes to help him, Ferrell says the lines "I'm so cold Mitch... I think I see Blue. He looks glorious," Blue being another character in the movie that had previously died.

There is a quest in Everlook involving a mob named Number Two, who is a gorilla. Number Two was the antagonist of this influential British sci-fi programme, and a gorilla mask factored very heavily into the show's final episode.

In the Eastern Plaguelands, an NPC by the name of Tirion Fordring lives in a small house in the wilderness. When a monster approaches him, he gets out his hammer and says, "Say hello to my little friend." This is a quote from the movie Scarface from 1983 starring Al Pacino.

In Dire Maul North, there are a series of quests that involve the creation of a [Gordok Ogre Suit]; one of the components of the suit is an [Ogre Tannin], which is found in a basket. When you obtain the Tannin, an ogre (Gordok Bushwacker) comes charging down the stairs screaming, "It puts the tannin in the basket or it gets the mallet again!!" This is a reference to the killer Buffalo Bill in the film (and novel), who instructed his victim, "It [the victim] rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." Also, Buffalo Bill was making a suit out of human skin.

In a cave in Thunder Bluff is a character named Clarice Foster. This is a reference to the FBI agent in the film (Clarice Starling) and the actress who played her (Jodie Foster).

In Darkshire there is an NPC by the name of Clarise Gnarltree (a reference to Clarice Starling). One of her dialogue possibilities pertains to the screaming of the lambs at night.

A worker for the Darkmoon Faire is looking for her lost frog, Jubjub, which shares a name with the pet iguana owned by Selma Bouvier, a minor character.

In the Library instance of the Scarlet Monastery, a miniboss named Houndmaster Loksey yells out, "Release the hounds!" when attacked in a voice very similar to that of Mr. Burns, the greedy owner of the Springfield nuclear power plant. The two characters also have similar hair styles.

In Dire Maul, after killing King Gordok and causing the ogres to become friendly, some ogres quote The Simpsons, such as, "I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T!"

Occasionally, one of the children fishing off the docks in Stormwind will yell out that he has caught a big, three-eyed fish just like the famous one from the series.

In the Badlands, Lotwil Veriatus's robot Servo says, "We can make it better, stronger, faster. We have the technology. We have the magic." This is a reference to the opening sequence of the 1970s TV show The Six Million Dollar Man.

In Dustwallow Marsh, there is an NPC named Jarl that gives a quest called Jarl Needs a Blade, in which you must get him a [Moonsteel Broadsword]. He states while giving the quest, "Some people call it a moonsteel broadsword. I call it a swing blade." This is an obvious reference to Billy Bob Thornton's character in Sling Blade, Carl, who says almost the same thing about a kaiser blade.

Hemet Nesingwary in Nagrand will occasionally fire his gun at nearby talbuks and yell "It's coming right for us!" This is a clear reference to an early episode of South Park where Jimbo and Ned took the boys hunting.

Lurking off the northern shores of Desolace about a bit out into the sea, one can find a rare crab scuttling along the bottom of the reef by the name of "Crusty". This little guy is a reference to the popular TV show SpongeBob SquarePants as SpongeBob works in a restaurant called the "Krusty Krab".

At The Gaping Chasm in Tanaris, the quest "A Great Idea" involves capturing a Hazzali Swarmer (which resemble the insect creatures from the movie) and returning it to Zeke Bootscuff. Upon turning in the quest, Zeke asks Narain Soothfancy to come over and then asks him "What's it thinking?". After pausing momentarily, Narain says "It's Afraid." followed by yelling, "It's Afraid!" This is a reference to the end of the movie where Carl Jenkins is asked to read the captured creatures mind, and declares that "It's Afraid!"

In Orgrimmar the NPC Engineer's name is Nogg, a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reference to young engineer Nog, the first Ferengi in Starfleet. Also in Nogg's is Sovik, who might be a reference to the Vulcan 'Saavik' first introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Warden Treelos (Cenarion Thicket, Terokkar Forest) says, "There are FOUR lights!" when first talking to him. Captain Jean-Luc Picard said the exact same thing in the two-part Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Chain of Command".

In the Priest questBlood of Morphaz, Ogtinc tells the player, "many druids died to bring us this information." This is a clear tip of the hat to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, where the Rebel leader tells the gathered Rebel Alliance of the second Death Star's fatal weakness, claiming that "many Bothans died to bring us this information."

The Holy Priest talent, Spirit of Redemption, that activates when the Holy Priest dies, reads "You have become more powerful than anyone can possibly imagine.", An obvious reference to the original Star Wars trilogy.

The final Hunter talent in the Beast Mastery tree is called Bestial Wrath and in its description is, "the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear", which is a line taken out of Terminator: "Listen. And understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"

In Marvon Rivetseeker's workshop in Ratchet, there is a mechanical arm upright in an elongated jar on an end table. This is a reference to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, where a microchip and mechanical arm were recovered by Cyberdyne Systems Corporation from the remains of the first terminator.

There is a metal arm outside the lava in a small room behind bunch of crates in LBRS which might have come from a terminator.

In the Blue Scepter Shard section of the quest line that opened the doors to AQ, the player must find and speak to the ghost of Azuregos. After a long dialog, the blue dragon spirit gives you a [Magical Ledger]. If you persist in talking to the spirit, he says, "I SAID GOOD DAY!", as Willy Wonka does near the end of the movie.

In addition, the Samophlange quest chain starting in the city of Ratchet is likely a reference to a moderately famous series of outtakes from the show, in which one of the voice actors asks, "What the f— is a samophlange?"

Topper McNabb in Stormwind City quotes, "Spare some change for a poor blind man? …What do you mean I'm not blind? …I'M NOT BLIND! I CAN SEE!! It's a miracle!" This is a quote from the movie where Eddie Murphy's character is confronted by two policemen when trying to scam pedestrians in the park.

At the opening event for the Dark Portal, one of the NPCs fighting the invading demons shouts out, "Brothers and sisters of the sword! I would rather fight alongside you than any army of thousands! We are lions! Do you know what's waiting through these demons and beyond that Dark Portal? Immortality! Take it!" Brad Pitt says almost the same thing in the 2003 movie Troy.

The cooking trainer named Stephen Ryback in Stormwind's Pig & Whistle Tavern in the Old Town district is a reference to the 1992 movie Under Siege starring Steven Seagal as Casey Ryback. The Stormwind guards also allude to this by saying, "From the way he handles a knife, I don't think he was always a chef." Furthermore, next to the cooking trainer NPC, there is a cooking supplier NPC named Erika Tate, also an actor/character combination from the same movie (Erika Eleniak as Jordan Tate).

At the Stormwindbank, the three banker NPCs are named Olivia Burnside, Newton Burnside, and John Burnside. Putting their first names together yields the name of singer/actress Olivia Newton-John. The aforementioned Olivia Burnside touts the security of the bank by stating, "No one's ever stolen anything out of here. Not in the whole history of... the whole history!" Olivia Newton-John's character Kira makes an almost identical comment to Sonny when he tells her he's going to take her out of Mount Olympus.

Literature

The Anarchist Cookbook

A late level mage quest begins with a tome known as "The Arcanist's Cookbook". This is a reference to The Anarchist's Cookbook, a collection of articles on explosives, hacking, and other shady business.

The Bible

The Journeyman leather trainer in Stormwind is called Simon the Tanner, a reference to someone Paul the Apostle stayed with in the "Book of Acts".

Outside the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj is an NPC named John the Revelator, a reference to the last book of the Bible (Revelations).

The Camels are Coming

An NPC named Bingles can be found east of the lake in Loch Modan. This is a reference to Major James Bigglesworth, known to all as "'Biggles'", is a fictional pilot and adventurer created by 'W. E. Johns'. The first collection of Biggles stories, 'The Camels are Coming', was published in 1932. Characters named "Biggles"--also a reference to the Johns character—were a running joke in a couple of 'Monty Python' sketches. The "Spanish Inquisition" sketch featured 'Terry Jones' as a "Cardinal Biggles" (complete with goggles), while the "Biggles" sketch featured 'Graham Chapman' in the titular role.

Chronicles of Narnia

There is a pair of boots called "Dawn Treaders," an obvious reference to "C. S. Lewis"' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Crime and Punishment

There is an NPC in Stormwind City named Nikova Raskol, a play on the name Raskolnikov, the protagonist of 'Fyodor Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment.

There is also a quest of the same name where a character must kill an NPC named Dextren Ward.

Damon Knight

An Exotic Cookbook found in some areas of the game through killing NPCs or pickpocketing them has the flavor text "How To Serve Man", a reference to Damon Knight's short story "To Serve Man", which was later made into a Twilight Zone episode and parodied in one "Treehouse of Horror" special on The Simpsons.

The Divine Comedy

A signpost on the western edge of Deadwind Pass bears the words "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here". In some translations of Dante's Inferno, these same words are written on the gates of Hell.

Discworld

In Dustwallow Marsh there is a Watchman called Captain Vimes, a direct reference to Captain Vimes of the Night Watch, one of Terry Pratchett's popular Discworld characters. Another reference to this character might be Commander Samaul.

There is also a series of quests in Duskwood for a group of NPCs belonging to The Night Watch.

Mayor of the Darkshire, Ebonlocke, might be a minor reference to Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Havelock Vetinari.

Hall of Thanes can easily be a reference to the Hall of the Thanes that was the throne room in Pax Tharkas. It also can be a reference to the Valley of the Thanes where the kings of Thorbardin are laid to rest.

Iron Forge is similar to the family name of a Hero of the Lance, Flint Fireforge.

The Pig and Whistle tavern mentioned elsewhere as an easter egg is the name of an inn in Flotsam in Dragonlance.

Dune

Obviously, the mobs called "Sandworms" are a reference to the huge worms in Dune.

The worm boss Ouro in AQ 40 has a 6% drop chance on an item called [Jom Gabbar]. The icon resembles a mysterious box. In the Dune book Muad'dib was tested with a box and a poisoned needle. The box was simply called 'the box,' but the needle was called Gom jabbar. In the test you place your hand in the box and it will cause unimaginable pain until the test ends. However, if you take your hand out too early the one testing you will stab you with the needle and you will die instantly.

As of patch 1.12, the desert of Silithus features a collectible item called "Silithyst" which appears in "blooms" throughout the desert just as Spice does in the novel. The catch phrase for this is "He who controls the Silithyst, controls the desert" which is a play on the novel's catch phrase "He who controls the Spice, controls the universe."

A sleeping Druid named "Kerlonian Evershade" will occasionally say "The sleeper has awakened" when you blow a horn to wake him up. The quote was also used by the Druids in "Warcraft III."

In Trisfal Glades along the Whispering Shore and the North Coast two rare Murlocs will spawn named Maud and Deeb. Together the names are a reference to Muad'dib from the novel.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (Sir Thomas Gray, 1750)

The road from the Dark Portal to Hellfire Citadel is The Path of Glory,a reference to the famous line that ends the 9th stanza of Gray's poem which reads,

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,Awaits alike th' inevitable hour:-The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

The line from Gray also became the title of Humphrey Cobb's World War I novel and the 1957 Stanley Kubrick movie of the same name, Paths of Glory.

The quest giver Hemet Nesingwary- an anagram of Ernest Hemingway- is the typical "great white hunter" found in many Hemingway stories. The quest [40] The Green Hills of Stranglethorn is a reference to Hemingway's The Green Hills of Africa. Also, two NPCs in this camp also have names that are anagrams of authors' names, Sir S.J. Erlgadin (J.D. Salinger) and Ajeck Rouack (Jack Kerouac).

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser

The dagger [Heartseeker] may be a reference to Fafhrd, who always named his offhand dagger "Heartseeker".

Farseer Trilogy

The NPC Shado 'Fitz' Farstrider at Nesingwary's Expedition in Nagrand is a reference to the assassin Fitz Farseer from the Farseer Trilogy written by Robin Hobb.

Five Deadly Venoms

Within the city of Stormwind lies a poison shop called "The Five Deadly Venoms", which is a reference to the Kung-fu cult hit of the same name.

Flowers for Algernon

An undead man in the Apothecarium of the Undercity named Algernon stands holding a peacebloom, a reference to the aforementioned novel.

Hades' Daughter

There is an NPC in Teldrassil named Asterion who is trapped and must be set free. This is a reference to Sarah Douglass' character in the Troy Game series.

Heart of Darkness

In Stranglethorn Vale, near the northern edge of the map, there is a camp named Kurzen's Compound, with adds such as medicine men. This is a reference to the character Kurtz who befriended an African tribe deep in the jungle and eventually went mad.

Harry Potter

A quest from the Mor'Ladim series of quests in Darkshire is named "The Daughter Who Lived," a reference to "The Boy Who Lived," which Harry Potter is referred to in the series.

A quest for the second Scourge Invasion is called [70R] Chamber of Secrets which quotes the title of a Harry Potter Book. To complete this quest, you have to kill Tenris Mirkblood, whose surname sounds similar to 'mudblood', which is an insult aimed at wizards/witches with no magical parents.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

In Deeprun Tram, there is a Leper Gnome by the name of Haggle who walks around and says, "Forty-two... forty-two what? It could be anything..." This is a reference to the Douglas Adams classic where the answer to "The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything" is "'Forty-two'". Two popular Questions to the Answer of Forty-Two are "At what number on a certain street in New York City is the club known as Stavro Mueller Beta located at?" and "What do you get if you multiply six by seven?", as well as "How many roads must a man walk down?".

Non-combat pets, or companion pets, have "42" health-points (hp). A possible reference to the answer to "The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything".

Zafod Boombox in the Gunship battle in Icecrown Citadel, is referring to Zaphod Beeblebrox

Xaviera Hollander

In Booty Bay, the fishing trainers shop is named The Happy Bobber, although the sign outside shows a fishhook. This is an allusion to 'The Happy Hooker', an autobiography published in 1971 and written by former Dutch madame and prostitute 'Xaviera Hollander'.

During the holidays in December, a series of quests are opened up and one involves a giant green yeti named "The Greench." He has stolen a delivery of gifts. The name of the quest is "You're a Mean One..." All from the book by Dr. Seuss.

The Jungle Book

In the last phase of the quest "Panther Mastery" for Sir S. J. Erlgadin of Nesingwary's Expedition, you are required to hunt and kill a black panther named Bag'thera whose name closely resembles the black panther 'Bagheera' from 'Rudyard Kipling'’s 'The Jungle Book'.

The Lorax

Located in Winterspring patrolling a broken temple to the south east, The Lorax is a reference to a Dr. Seuss book of the same title.

H.P. Lovecraft

The world of Azeroth is a modified version of Azathoth, a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, as well as a deity of the Cthulhu Mythos

The name Warcraft is inspired by how much H.P. Lovecraft and his stories inspired the creators. Replacing Love with War to create Warcraft.

During the quest "The Star, the Hand and the Heart" in Dustwallow Marsh the god of murlocs is summoned. The god of these fish-men is called Dagun, which is an obvious reference to 'Dagon', one of the Great Old Ones. Dagon is featured in Lovecraft's Shadow Over Innsmouth. Similarly, the murlocs are, perhaps not only in the given context, a reference to the novel's frogfish-like worshippers of Dagon, the denizens of Y'ha-nthlei. A movie with the same name has also been made.

In the quest Crime and Punishment, Councilman Millstipe of Darkshire wants you to bring him the hand of Dextren Ward. This is a reference to The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

C'Thun, the final boss in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raid instance, bears a striking resemblance to Lovecraft's creation, 'Cthulhu', a horrible being, with a notable feature of tentacles.

The progress text for the quest for the tier 2.5 set (requiring you to kill C'thun reads "At his dwelling at Ahn'Qiraj, dread C'thun awaits in slumber, similar to the "In his house at Rl'yeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming", the mantra of the Cthulhu cultists.

Doctor Herbert Halsey, Artisan Alchemist (Undercity). This NPC is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's, Reanimator. Herbert Halsey is actually a mix of two characters from Lovecraft's story, Herbert West and Dr. Allen Halsey. Blizzard keeps to the Lovecraft theme by giving Dr. Herbert Halsey an Artisan Alchemist role residing in the Forsaken capital of the Undercity surrounded by dissection tables and body parts.

A quest "Solution to Doom" requires you to retrieve Tablet of Ryun'eh from Uldaman. In Lovecraft's works, R'lyeh is the sunken city where Cthulhu is said to dwell in hibernation.

The surname of a Warlock trainer Richard Kerwin in Undercity bears resemblance to Curwen, another reference to The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, along with the surnames of Undercity rogue trainers being Charles, Dexter and Ward.

In Tarren Mill, there is an NPC named Deathguard Samsa, who asks you to collect human skulls - the protagonist of 'Kafka's novel was named Gregor Samsa.

A Modest Proposal

A Netherstorm quest that begins near the Etherium area, the title is a reference to Johnathan Swift's essay "A Modest Proposal".

The Old Man and the Sea

In Booty Bay, there is a fishing trainer named Old Man Heming, an allusion to 'Ernest Hemingway' and his novella. Also, there is a hunter in Stranglethorn Vale called Hemet Nesingwary — an anagram for the writer's name.

The Right Stuff

There is a warlock quest in Felwood called "The Wrong Stuff" which is likely a reference to "Tom Wolfes 1979 novel" which itself was later adapted into a film in 1983.

Shakespeare

In Undercity, the four bankers have the last name Montague. This is a reference to one of the feuding families in Romeo and Juliet. This is more certainly derived from Mercutio's line, when mortally wounded "A plague o' both your houses!", that plague, of course, being the one of undeath, in this case.While three of the Montagues are "alive"/corporeal, Ophelia is a ghost, surely a reference to the Ophelia in Hamlet who drowns herself.

A butcher called Dirge Quikcleave in Tanaris says "Get thee to a cheesery!" when sending you on a quest to gather cheese and other cooking ingredients. This is a reference to "Get thee to a nunnery", a line from Hamlet to Ophelia.

Some undead creatures drop a 'pound of flesh', a reference to 'The Merchant of Venice'.

In Silverpine Forest there are two undead characters named Rane and Quinn Yorick. This is a reference to a famous scene in Hamlet, wherein Hamlet holds the skull of a dead childhood friend and mourns, "Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio."

A Song of Ice and Fire

There is a gnome in the gardens of Castle Stormwind by the name of Tyrion, probably a reference to Tyrion Lannister, the Imp.

It is possible that Duskwood's "The Night Watch" refers to the faction of the same name in the George R.R. Martin books, particularly since both battle the undead.

There is also a wolf pup named "Lady", a reference to Sansa Stark's pet wolf, running around the Blacksmith in Arathi Basin.

There is Jon Jon the Crow in Stranglethorn Vale, which may refer to Jon Snow, a member of the Night Watch, who are commonly referred to as "crows".

A Tale of Two Cities

In Booty Bay, there is a tailoring shop with a sign outside proclaiming the shop name to be "A Tailor to Cities", an obvious reference to the Charles Dickens novel.

The Time Machine

Morlocks are a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel "The Time Machine". It's possible that Murlocs are named for these creatures.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[The 1 Ring] — An item in reference to 'The One Ring' of Lord of the Rings (LotR) fame. It gives +1 to Strength, Agility, Stamina, Spirit and Intellect. It's reportedly not as good as The 2 Ring. It can be obtained through fishing, a reference to how 'Gollum' finds the ring in a river.

A quest obtained in Gnomeregan to return a ring to a gnome in Ironforge has the name 'Return of the Ring', a pun of the name of the last book in the LotR trilogy.

One of the /silly emotes for a human male talks about an 'idea for a movie' (that movie being the story of LotR, replacing "ring" with "bracelet", and other thoughtful changes.)

The /silly emote mentioned above seems to highlight many visual similarities to the art direction of the LotR films, such as Blackrock Mountain and the surrounding Burning Steppes bearing a striking resemblance to Mount Doom and the surrounding country of Mordor.

A dwarven reimagining of the Argonath exists in southern Loch Modan.

Beren's Peril, an area of Silverpine Forest, is possibly named for Beren, a man from the past of LotR. His story is more fully told in The Silmarillion.

A dying Blood Elf in the Ghostlands gives a quest called Anok'suten. One of the rewards for killing this elite (a giant spider) is a one-handed sword called Stung. This is an obvious reference to Sting, which is Bilbo's sword in The Hobbit, used effectively against spiders in the book. He later gives it to Frodo in LotR.

Mount Blackrock appears to be based on Mount Doom they both overshadow the areas surrounding them, Mordor, and Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. They both contain giant magma chambers where certain items can only be forged e.g. In Mount Doom it would be ring whilst in BRD it would be Dark Iron.

The mines of Moria is not just a mine, but also a small underground town where dwarves live. Blackrock Depths is similar, except being bigger. A stunningly close example between the two is the room with pillars in LotR when they enter, and in WoW the Lyceum room before the final boss. The Mines also guarded by the Balrog, and BRD is guarded by many fire elementals and giants similar to Balrog.

The Burning Steppes and the Searing Gorge are very similar to Mordor, for starters Mordor, just like the two zones, is a burning hellhole overshadowed by a gigantic volcano. There is also evil orcs in both Mordor and Burning Steppes, who simply want to take things for themselves. Mordor is ruled by Sauron, whilst Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge are ruled in practice by Ragnaros, an elemental lord hellbent on destruction.

In the Spires of Arrak there are 3 Ogrons named: Toom, Bort and Wullim. This is a reference to the 3 ogres around a campfire from "The Hobbit" Tom, Bert and William. If you open the chest near them you will find 12 dwarf beard rings and a burglar vest. These reference to the 12 dwarves and the burglar hobbit adventurer that comes along with them.

Treasure Island

Every time the chest in Stranglethorn Vale is placed in the arena someone named Short John Mithril announces it. Short John Mithril is a reference to the pirate Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel.

Walt Whitman

In Duskwood, in a house near the alliance Gryphon there is an NPC named Whit Wantmal which is an anagram of 'Walt Whitman'

Music

ABC (band)

A dwarf in Eastern Plaguelands gives a quest called "When Smokey Sings, I Get Violent", a reference to ABC's song When Smokey Sings which contains the line, "When Smokey sings, I hear violins."

The female night elf dance styles are taken from the French pop singer.

Bad News

"Burning, looting, burning and a shooting." – Dwarven Mortar Team. Reference to the song "Warriors of Genghis Khan" by the parody band "Bad News" The original lyrics are "Burning, looting, raping and a shooting".

Bob Dylan

A quest in the Eastern Plaguelands that begins at Chillwind Post is called All Along the Watchtowers is named for the Bob Dylan song All Along the Watchtower, made famous by "Jimi Hendrix".

Bon Jovi

There is a quest in Stranglethorn Vale called "Bad Medicine" a number one song off the band's New Jersey album.

Bauhaus

[Royal Overseer Bauhaus] of the Undercity Census Bureau may be named for the seminal goth band. This could also be a reference to the German Staatliches 'Bauhaus' school of architecture and art which deeply influenced the modernist period.

Barber of Seville and 'Marriage of Figaro'

A human in Southshore is named Bartolo after a character in these operas (he gives the quest Bartolo's Yeti Fur Cloak).

The Beatles

Michelle Belle at the inn in Goldshire is very similar to the lyrics of the song 'Michelle' – "Michelle my belle, these are words that go together well." See also Ringo Starr, below.

The Winter's Veil quest With A Little Helper From My Friends is a reference to the Beatles song "With A Little Help From My Friends."

Beck

The rare staff "Odo's Ley Staff" is a reference to the artist's Grammy winning 1996 album titled "Odelay."

Jimi Hendrix

When flying into or out of Dalaran one flies through a Purple Haze.

Blind Willie Johnson

In Silithus, outside the gates of Ahn'Qiraj is a priest named Jonathan the Revelator, referencing the popular Johnson song "John the Revelator".

Chaka Khan

A quest in Desolace from the chief of the centaur is called simply "Khan Shaka".

Depeche Mode

In the Blasted Lands, there is a quest giver that wants to collect crystals which drop in the zone, and the name of the quest is "'Everything Counts' in Large Amounts".

The Night Elf rogue pickpocket quest extensively references "The Bottom Line" from the album "Ultra". When you meet the rogue trainer in Dolanaar to start the quest chain, he is saying/singing a paraphrased version of the opening words from the song. His quest, which sends you to the Rogue Trainer in Darnassus, is "The Apple Falls", and her quest (to pickpocket a satyr) is called "Destiny Calls", which are lyrics from the song.

In Bloodmyst Isle, there is a quest called 'Precious and Fragile Things Need Special Handling.' The lyrics are identical to the first lines of the song "Precious."

'The Deadliest Trap Ever Laid' is the name of an Aldor/Scryer daily quest giving Netherwing reputation, and a line from the song "Home".

Neil Diamond

Players can obtain a buff called Songflower Serenade, an allusion to the song Longfellow Serenade by "Neil Diamond".

The Doors

Lord Serpentis, one of the bosses in the Wailing Caverns says "I am the Serpent King..I can do anything." This is a reference to 'Jim Morrison' of 'The Doors' whose alter ego was known as 'The Lizard King'. The line is taken verbatim (minus the substitution) from the song "Not To Touch The Earth", one of seven songs that make up a medley known as 'The Celebration of the Lizard'.

The Electric Slide

The current female tauren dance cycle is the electric slide.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer

The ogre Torkus in Ogri'la is a possible reference to the hit Emerson, Lake and Palmer album "Tarkus".

Genesis

The Western Plaguelands quest "Counting Out Time" is from the title of a song on their 1974 album 'The Lamb Lies down on Broadway'

Grateful Dead

There is a quest in Redridge which yields a "Bouquet of Scarlet Begonias", a Grateful Dead song.

The bartender in the Lakeshire Inn quotes the lyrics from their song 'Brown-Eyed Woman' , "The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean."

The bartender in Goldshire quotes, "If your cup is full, may it be again," from 'Ripple.'

An achievement is titled, "What a Long Strange Trip It's Been," a famous lyric from 'Truckin

Gregory Charles

There is a Rogue Trainer in Undercity named after the popular artist and imitator from Quebec, Canada

Guns N' Roses

There is a quest in Stranglethorn Vale called "Welcome to the Jungle" a very obvious reference to the opening song of the Appetite for Destruction album.

Hammerfall

The Horde town in Arathi Highlands is named after the 'Power Metal' band of the same name. This can be attributed to the fact that Samwise, one of the lead Blizzard artists is not only a fan of the band, but creates their CD covers.

A quest given by Danath Trollbane is called The Legion Reborn, which might be a reference to the HammerFall song, The Legend Reborn.

A song from the HammerFall album "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" is named Hammer of Justice, possibly as a nod to Blizzard and the Paladin ability Hammer of Justice.

Harry Belafonte

There is an item in the game called Tel'Abim Banana, which might be a reference to the Harry Belafonte song Banana Boat, with the lyric "Come mister tally man, tally me bananas".

Jay-Z

During the Halloween special event, a quest from a needy orphan requires you to perform emotes to NPCs to collect candy. The Tauren innkeeper in Thunder Bluff asks you to dance, and once you do she also dances and states "I may have ninety-nine problems, but dancin' ain't one of them!" This is a reference to 'Jay-Zs popular song, "99 Problems" in which he says "I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one". (This line is also directly lifted from an 'Ice-T' song of the same name, though it is unclear which song Blizzard is referring to).

Jethro Tull

The quest "Bungle in the Jungle" received in Gadgetzan is a reference to the song of the same name from the band's 1974 album War Child.

Led Zeppelin

A quest for the Instance Dungeon Stratholme called Houses of the Holy is an obvious reference to the band's 1973 album of the same name.

A quest in Shadowmoon Valley is named "Crazed and Confused", similar to the band's song "Dazed and Confused", of their famous debut album.

Macarena

The human female dance style is the Macarena.

MC Hammer

The male orc dance style is the same as seen in the rapper's videos, most notably "'U Can't Touch This'".

Metallica

An NPC in Stratholme is named "The Unforgiven" a reference to one of their songs.

There's a quest named Ride the Lightning in Blade's Edge Mountains, at Toshley's Station. This is after their second album, and Ride the Lightning is also the second song on that album.

The Paladin spell Hammer of Justice could be a reference to the lyrics "Hammer of justice crushes you, overpower", from the Metallica song "...And Justice For All" featured on the album of the same name.

In 'Stormwind' the three bankers are named Olivia, Newton and John. This is a reference to the singer/actor from the 1980s.

Peter Gabriel

The quest The Family and the Fishing Pole in Darkshore references a song from the singer's song The Family And The Fishing Net.

Peter Murphy

The quest Deep Ocean, Vast Sea in Darkshore references a song from the "Bauhaus" singer's solo album, "Deep".

Pink Floyd

In 'Hammerfall', there's a First Aid-quest. While patching up dying soldiers, one of the will sing the song 'Goodbye Cruel World' by "Pink Floyd".

Pomeroy

In Stormwind City there is a guard named "Patroller Pomeroy" possibly a reference to the band Pomeroy.

Queen

In Hillsbrad Foothills there is a level 32 Horde quest to prove your ability to protect the Hammerfall outpost in Arathi by killing ogres. The quest shares the title with Queen's song "Hammer to Fall".

A male Night Elf /silly emote states "Who wants to live forever?" which is also the title of a Queen song from the film "Highlander", which in turn is about immortals.

Rammstein

In the Stratholme instance, one of the final encounters before fighting 'Baron Rivendare' on the 'Baron run' or 'Undead side' of the instance is a powerful abomination called Ramstein. This may also, conceivably, be a reference to the German town called 'Ramstein-Miesenbach' or even the air-show disaster that took place at the nearby 'Ramstein Air Base', which inspired the name of the band, Rammstein.

R.E.M.

The two councilmen in the Town Hall of Darkshire are named "Berrybuck" and "Millstipe", a reference to the classic "R.E.M." lineup of "Bill Berry", '"Peter Buck", "Mike Mills", and "Michael Stipe".

Ringo Starr

A quest in Un'Goro Crater called "With a Little Help from My Friends" has the player rescue a Goblin named Ringo. The quest is named for the song sung by Ringo on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band".

Run-D.M.C.

At the Brewfest near Ogrimmar stands an NPC named Ram Master Ray, a reference to Run-D.M.C.-bandmember Jam Master Jay.

Rush

A quest in Un'Goro Crater called "Roll the Bones", the name of a song by the hit Canadian rock band, Rush.

Siouxsie and the Banshees

In the Dire Maul West instance there is a rare spawn called Tsu'zee and there are two Wailing Banshees right behind her.

The Smashing Pumpkins

During Hallow's End, you will find a pair of Human Commoners in Stormwind City, who offer the quest "Costumed Orphan Matron". Their gossip states, "When Hallow's End is over we'll smash all these pumpkins. That'll be the greatest day I've ever known!" This is a reference to both the band and a lyric from their 1994 hit "Today".

The Toyes

If the "/silly" command is used as a male Troll player, the character will sometimes recite, in a heavy Jamaican accent, "I kill two dwarves in the morning, I kill two dwarves at night. I kill two dwarves in the afternoon, and then I feel alright. I kill two dwarves in time of peace and two in time of war. I kill two dwarves before I kill two dwarves, and then I kill two more," a direct reference to 'the Toyes' song "Smoke Two Joints". The band 'Sublime' did a cover of the song; it's unknown which version Blizzard was making reference to. This was apparently removed as of Patch 1.11, for copyright reasons. [1]

Sid Vicious

An NPC on the shores of Lake Lorderon is named Nancy Vishas, possibly an allusion to 'Nancy Spungen', deceased girlfriend of former "Sex Pistols" bassist 'Sid Vicious".

When Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain played outside Shattrath during BlizzCon 2007, the band lineup featured a Blood Elf guitarist named Sig Nicious.

Warrant

There is a merchant in Ironforge named Sraaz who quotes random lines from Warrant's song Cherry Pie, like "Cherry Pie, tastes so good it makes a grown gnome cry". He wanders around near the Gryphon master. Sraaz only has one item for sale, Homemade Cherry Pie.

C'Thun, the final boss of the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, will whisper the words "You... are... already... dead..." and "Your... heart... will... explode...". Kenshiro, the lead character of Fist of the North Star, is extremely famous for the initial line, and often through his fighting style would cause massive internal damage to his opponents, including making their heart explode in an extremely violent fashion.

A reward from the quest The Perfect Poison is called [Doomulus Prime]. This references a FoxTrot strip from January 29, 2006 in which Jason obtained the most powerful item in all of "World of Warquest" (in the strip, Jason lost the item before he could pick it up when he was disconnected from the server for which he gave a scream so loud, it was heard all the way to BlizCraft headquarters prompting someone there to ask if someone had tripped over the cord again.) The name of the item itself seems to be a reference to Transformers character Optimus Prime.

Inside the Troll instance of Zul'Gurub is a boss by the name of Bloodlord Mandokir. While fighting him, random players will get a message from him saying "Don't make me angry. You won't like it when I'm angry," which is a quote from Bruce Banner before he transforms into the Hulk. If the player decides to attack the Bloodlord after he has given this message, the Bloodlord will charge forward and beat the player to death.

One of the voice emotes for Orc characters is "Orc smash!", a reference to the Hulk's catchphrase, "Hulk smash!"

A female Night Elf named "Arko'narin" is held captive in a cage in the Felwood. When freed and led back to her armor and weapons, she will spin in place a few times and will suddenly appear to be wearing her armor. She then says "All I need now is a golden lasso." In the 1970's, Linda Carter played "Wonder Woman" and would spin in place to change into her costume.

In Shattrath City, one of the NPCs is named The Rokk (Master of Cooking), a reference to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson . The Rock's most popular catch phrase was "Do you smell what the Rock is cookin'?".

Real Life Holidays

Some real life holidays and observances are reflected in the game. Events are sorted by date. Info is taken from Event.

New year

Celebrated on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with fireworks and free alcohol.

Chinese New Year

Known as Lunar Festival in the game, it is celebrated early February. (Between January 27 to February 14 in 2006). Some events of interest:

On January 29th (the date of the actual lunar new year in 2006). Celebrations occur in Stormwind, Thunder Bluff, Booty Bay and Moonglade.

On February 13th, one last firework show will be held in Moonglade. This parallels the Chinese 'Lantern Festival'; extra lanterns are spawned around Lake Elune'ara (the firework show occurs over the lake).

Red Lockboxes (Red packets) are given out from various NPCs (especially elderly).

A special boss named Omen only appears in this festival, inspired by the Chinese creature of myth, Nian. It is actually named 'Nian' in the Chinese version.

Valentine's Day

Known as Love is in the Air in the game, it is celebrated between February 11 and 15. Candies and 'love tokens' are given out by guards.

Easter

Known as Noblegarden in the game, it is celebrated around Easter and symbolized by finding easter eggs.

Independence Day

Known as Engineer's Explosives Extravaganza in the game and marked by fireworks, it is celebrated on July 4 on all servers.

Halloween

Known as Hallow's End in the game, it is celebrated between October 18 and November 1. Players can go 'trick or treat' at the innkeepers around this time.

Christmas

Known as Feast of Winter Veil in the game, it is celebrated between December 15 and January 2. Denoted by 'Christmas Trees' and decorations in some cities, and the appearance of Greatfather Winter, an obvious reference to 'Santa Claus'.

Other

Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder, a warlock trainer in 'Ironforge', is likely a reference to the artist of the same name known for his large, sheet metal mobiles.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Near 'Darkshire' an old man is named Abercrombie, as in the popular clothing company. He presents a series of quests, during the culmination of which he produces a hideous monster of his own creation named "Stitches" (resembling the Abomination creature in Warcraft 3). It's widely accepted that "Abercrombie and Stitches" is not an accidental near-homonym for the "'Abercrombie and Fitch'" brand.

Seems likely that 'Auberdine' is named after Aberdeen, a city in Scotland. Both the Dee and Don rivers in Scotland Aberdeen strike a high resemblance to the Cliff-spring River and Wildbend River in Darkshore, and the long sandy beach of both Aberdeen and Auberdine confirm that the warcraft area was modeled after a similar area in Scotland.

This band of turtle-riding goblin body guards hang around Booty Bay as an extra peace keeping force, which seem to be a reference to the real-life private military organization Xe, formerly named Blackwater Worldwide when the game was released.

Blizzard employee

South of Dun Garok in Hillsbrad Foothills, east of Southshore, on the cliff overlooking the coastline, there is an epitaph to "Anthony Ray Stark (1961-2005)." It should be noted that Iron Man's real name is Anthony Edward Stark and his character was created in 1963. On July 7, 2006 it was confirmed to be an in game memorial to a friend of a developer and not a reference to Iron Man.

Engineers in the game can learn to craft "Seaforium", an explosive device that can open locked doors.

Circus

In Ironforge, the three bankers are named Barnum, Bailey, and Soleil. This is a reference to "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus" and "Cirque du Soleil".

Golden Dawn

The 'Argent Dawn' group may be a reference to the late 19th century metaphysical order of the Golden Dawn.

Edwin Van Cleef

Possible reference to the Dutch organized crime leader, George Van Kleef, strikingly similar in terms of name and profession. Even more extraordinary is it that George Van Kleef was assassinated in November 2005, grimly ironic as his namesake is constantly killed by players ingame as part of a quest series in The Deadmines.

He could also be named after the well-known spaghetti-western star, Lee Van Cleef, who became famous for playing notoriously ice-cold villains.[12]

Gregory Charles

The undercity rogue trainer's name is the same as French Canadian singer/actor/entertainer Gregory Charles.[13]

In Elwynn Forest are farms owned by two feuding families, the Stonefields and Maclures. This is a reference to the Hatfield-McCoy feud from American history.

Haunted Mansion

Players battle Thule Ravenclaw in Fenris Keep in Silverpine Forest, he is believed to be named after the famous voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft who is the lead vocalist in the Disney attraction's theme song Grim Grinning Ghosts.

Outside the instance Scholomance, a hearse is visible in a similar fashion as the one outside the Disneyland version of the ride.

Hickory Farms

There are goblin vendors in various places working for "Smokywood Pastures" that offer cheeses and sausages. They also set up sales wagons in the major cities during the Winter Holiday events.

Hindenburg

One of the zeppelin goblins near the 'Undercity' is named Hin Denburg, after the famous crashed German blimp.

Homestar Runner

At Thorium Point in Searing Gorge, there is an NPC named "Master Smith Burninate", a reference to Strong Bad's dragon, "Trogdor the Burninator" — the NPC appears in an area near a large dragon, and will commonly drop dragon skin if killed.

Honeywell

In Southshore there is an NPC named "Apprentice Honeywell". She also shows up in the Caverns of Time instance Old Hillsbrad. Interestingly, though visibly a female, Apprentice Honeywell has the gender male (as reported by the UnitSex API call).

Immovable Object/Unstoppable Force

Two of the items which can be obtained as PvP rewards in Alterac Valley are [The Immovable Object] (a shield) and [The Unstoppable Force] (a mace). These are references to a logical conundrum which goes, "What happens when an unstoppable force strikes an immovable object?". Since the release of the Burning Crusade, two grey (poor) quality items were included; a mace called "[The Stoppable Force]" and a shield called "[The Movable Object]".

JATO Rocket Car

In the Shimmering Flats one of the racer cars has crashed and embedded halfway up the cliff face, a reference to the Darwin Award urban legend of the 'JATO Rocket Car'.

Jerky Boys

There is an NPC in Ironforge named Talvash del Kissel. This is a reference to the infamous phone prank group The Jerky Boys. Two of the personas the Jerky Boys used while doing pranks were named "Kissel" and "Tarbash the Egyptian Magician". The latter name probably explains why the NPC hangs out in The Mystic Ward, the mage area of Ironforge.

Jose Cuervo

A Tanaris quest called Cuergo's Gold references this popular alcoholic beverage.

Kym Wilde

There is an NPC at Thunder Bluff named Kym Wildmane, which is possibly a reference to the actor Kym Wilde or the singer "Kim Wilde".

Leroy Jenkins

The Classic Dungeons and Raids Achievement "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy" is based from the player video of Leroy Jenkins charging into a room full of rookery whelps during a raid, while screaming his name through the microphone. The title received from this quest, killing 50 rookery whelps in 15 seconds, is his last name, Jenkins (Appears as <Name> Jenkins).

Morning Glory Dew

A high level and expensive mana restore drink that players can find is called "[Morning Glory Dew]". Blizzard employees have been quoted as saying they drink a lot of Mountain Dew so this item may reference the soda.

It has also been suggested that the initials "MGD" stand for Miller Genuine Draft, an American brewed beer. Given that most employers frown upon drinking alcoholic beverages in the workplace, the connection is tenuous at best.

Ngorongoro Crater

It seems likely that 'Un'goro Crater' was named after 'Ngorongoro Crater', 'Tanzania', the largest perfect caldera in the world. The geography of Un'Goro also bears a striking resemblance to Ngoro Ngoro.

O RLY?

After the saying became popular among players, one of newly added Goblin Auctioneers in Booty Bay was named "O'Reely".

There is also a white owl that flies around a hut near Steamwheedle Port in Tanaris named "O'Reilly".

An Undead auctioneer by the name of "Yarly" has been added in the Undercity Auction House.

Pirates vs. Ninjas

Eating a [Savory Deviate Delight] will cause your character to turn into either a Pirate or a Ninja. The effect is purely cosmetic. The effect will read as "Arrrrr" for pirates or "Flip Out" for ninjas, the latter a reference to the phrase "The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people"

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

One of the Tauren Male's dance cycles is based on the famous 'Dancing Banana' that appears in the popular Internet Flash.

Cristo Redentor

In Booty Bay there is a statue of a goblin with its arms outstretched, very similar to the Cristo Redentor statue above Rio de Janeiro. The statue is on "Jainero's Point".

Smith & Wesson

In Ratchet a High Elf sailor will give you a mission to travel down the coast and kill the cannoneers Smythe and Whesson, an obvious reference to firearm company Smith & Wesson.

The German names of these NPC, cannoneers Hecksler and Knoch refer to the German firearm company Heckler & Koch.

Sweeney Todd

There is a traveling salesman who wander around Elwynn Forest and Darkshire named Antonio Perelli, a reference to the traveling hair elixir salesman in the musical version of Sweeney Todd. Also, upstairs from the Stormwind barber shop are two gnome skeletons, referring to Todd being a barber and using his shop to murder people.

Thomas Cook

The cooking trainer in Goldshire, Thomas <Cook> could well be a reference to the Thomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, founder of the international travel agency of the same name.

Tonka

The Darkmoon Faire has several remote-controlled cars known as Tonks.

Tortuga

In the Tanaris desert, there is a quest to help a tortoise named "Tooga" to get back to his wife "Torta." "Tortuga" means "turtle" in Spanish.

Tortuga is also the name of a famous pirate's haven in the Caribbean. The eastern shores of Tanaris are thick with pirates.

Wickerman

During the 2005 Halloween season, Blizzard introduced the festivities of Hallow's End, which includes the burning of an effigy of a man (named Wickerman) in front of 'Undercity'. This references the ancient pagan practice of sacrifing men inside giant burning wicker constructs, called Wicker Men, as well as the movie of the same name[14]. It is possibly also a reference to the annual 'Burning Man' festival held in Nevada.

The Pig & Whistle

In Stormwind there's a tavern called "The Pig & Whistle" in the Old Town district. This is a reference to a bar in Hollywood called "The Pig & Whistle Tavern". It is probably a more direct reference to the book series Dragonlance, where Raistlin performs magic acts.

The Holocaust

In the orc Internment camps, in the Caverns of Time dungeon Escape from Durnholde, The occasional guard will yell "I was just taking orders!", a reference to the common excuse used by Nazi labor camp guards, during the Nuremberg Trials.

Where are the Cheetos?

There's a quest in Bloodmyst Isle called "I Shoot Magic into the Darkness." Those who don't spend their entire lives on the internet might not catch this one, but it's referencing a comedy skit done by the Dead Alewives about Dungeons and Dragons roleplayers. "Why are you casting magic missile, there's nothing to attack here!" "I'm... attacking the darkness!"

Games Workshop made Blizzard remove these references for the expansion pack, hence the renamed units and missing quote.[citation needed]

The Lost Vikings

In the Blizzard-produced bonus mission Monolith, the three possible names for the Dark Troll hero are Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout, the names of the three Lost Vikings.

Mortal Kombat

"Mortar Combat!" –Dwarven Mortar Team.

"Your soul is mine!" –Dreadlord

StarCraft

"Clearly, Tassadar has failed us! You must not!" – Mortar Team. Quotation from Judicator Aldaris in the first Protoss scenario.

"My life for Aiur... er-r-r I-I mean Ner'Zhul." – Acolyte. Refers to the line said by the Protoss Zealot whenever a new one is created.

In the second Night Elf level "Eternity's End", there is a Hydralisk hidden behind the trees, which you can control after you approach it.

Zero Wing

allyourbasearebelongtous and somebodysetupusthebomb are both cheat codes for the game, referencing the Zero Wing game and well-known internet phenomenon.[15]

Literature

A Song of Ice and Fire

The final chapter of 'Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne' is called "A Symphony of Frost and Flame."

Atlas Shrugged

Enabled research cheat – WhoIsJohnGalt – Refers to the novel 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand. "'Who is John Galt?'" is a slang/colloquialism used throughout, but actually refers to the mysterious engineer, John Galt, the man who stopped the motor of the world.

The Lord of the Rings

"I stole your precious." –Spellbreaker. The character 'Gollum' called 'The One Ring' "my precious" in 'the Lord of the Rings' series of books.

Kel'Thuzad was a corrupted human mage, who succumbed to the will of the Lich King. The Witch King of Angmar is also similar, except for being a human king, as he fell to the ring of Sauron. Secondly, Kel'Thuzad is second in command to the Lich King, and the Witch King is second in command to Sauron.

Movies

Alien

"In the depths, no one can hear you scream. Well.. they can, but it's really muffled." –Naga Royal Guard. Reference to "In space no one can hear you scream".

Army of Darkness

"This... is... my... BOOMSTICK!" –Rifleman. This is a line said by the rifleman with multiple clicking. This is a line from Ash in "Army of Darkness" when he explains to the medieval people what a shotgun is.

The Big Lebowski

Cheat code to remove spell cooldown was 'TheDudeAbides', a line from the main character.

Braveheart

"Every man lives. Not every man truly dies." –Necromancer, reference to William Wallace's (Mel Gibson) line in Braveheart: "Every man dies. Not every man truly lives."

Clerks

"I hate people, but I love gatherings." –Death Knight hero unit, paraphrased from an exchange between the two main characters in Clerks: "You hate people!" "But I love gatherings! Isn't it ironic?"

Cool Hand Luke

"What we have here is a failure to communicate." –Bandit. Also said by Warden.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

"Crouch, tiger, I sense a hidden dragon." – Priestess of the Moon.

Full Metal Jacket

"Me so horned, me hurt you long time!" said by the orc grunts, is a reference to the prostitute's declaration of "me so horny, me love you long time!"

"Only two things come from Texas... and I got horns.", says a Tauren when clicked. Reference to the Kubrick movie where Gunnery Sergeant Hartman shouts at Pvt Cowboy in response to finding out where he comes from: "...Texas?! Only steers and queers come from Texas!"

Ghostbusters

"There is no Banshee, only 'Zuul'!" –Banshee. This is a reference to a 'Sigourney Weaver' line.

Gladiator

"What I do in death echoes in eternity." –Shade. Similar to a line spoken by Maximus.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

"You are terminated".-Goblin Tinker. T-850 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) said to T-X in Terminator 3.

The Jungle Book

"Ale is my bear necessity." –Pandaren Brewmaster. A major song in The Jungle Book is called "The Bear Necessities". "The Bear Necessities" is also a quest in Bloodmyst Isle.

The Matrix

The cheat for unlimited mana; "There is no spoon" is taken from the film 'The Matrix'.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

"I never say NI!" –Knight. A reference to The 'Knights who say Ni' from 'Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail|The Holy Grail'.

"My favourite colour is Blue! No! Yeelloow-" –Knight. A reference to The Bridge of Death from 'Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail|The Holy Grail'

"You're the king? Well I didn't vote for you." –Peasant. A reference to The Filth Harvesting Peasants from 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.

"We have a witch! May we burn her?" –Peasant. A reference to the witch burning scene in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.

"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" –Peasant. A reference to the constitutional peasant Dennis in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.

"It's only a flesh wound!" –Footman. A reference to Black Knight in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

"I don't want FOP, damn it! I'm a dapper dan man!" Said by Bandit, said by Ulysses in the movie.

Peter Pan

"Uh-oh, my Tinker bell." –Tinker. Reference to the character "Tinkerbell".

Predator

"Let's move. Five meter spread, no sound." –Archer.

Scarface

"Say hello to my little friend!" –Troll Headhunter. The same words were said by "Al Pacino's" character in "Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface".

The Sixth Sense

"I see undead people." –Necromancer.

"Me eat dead people." –Ghoul.

"I see dead people." –Far Seer. Said by 'Haley Joel Osment'. "Iseedeadpeople" is also the cheat for fully explored map/remove fog of war.

Star Trek

The cheat warpten is a possible reference to Star Trek.

Star Wars

"Me don't sound like 'Yoda'. Do I?" –'Orc Grunt'. A reference to 'Yoda'.

"Once you head down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Plus you got dental." –Acolyte. Reference to turning to The Dark Side.

"Touch your tongue to mine." –Far Seer. A reference to the quote made by both Oobidub Benubi and A Puppet in Thumb Wars, a Star Wars parody.

The Usual Suspects

Cheat code keysersoze for obtaining extra gold refers to the mythical crime figure Keyser Soze, whose very existence is a source of mystery and debate.

Where Eagles Dare

One of the missions in the Orc Campaign of Reign of Chaos is called "Where Wyverns Dare" named after the movie.

Music

Britney Spears

"Click me baby, one more time." –Sorceress. 'Britney Spears first hit was "Hit Me Baby, One More Time".

Guns n' Roses

Bandit "What we have here is a failure to communicate.", a famous intro in the song called "Civil War".

Sting & The Police

"We're all spirits in the material world." –Spirit Walker. From the Sting & The Police song of the same title.

Iron Maiden

The bonus campaign "Founding Durotar" chapter one is named "To Tame a Land", reference to a song on the album Piece Of Mind.

There is a level in the campaign called "Where Wyverns Dare", a reference to the Iron Maiden song "Where Eagles Dare", or also possibly a reference to the movie 'Where Eagles Dare'. Where Eagles Dare is Also a song by Horror Punk band The Misfits.

Jon Bon Jovi

"Shot through the heart, and I'm to blame." –Archer. One of Bon Jovi's songs begins with "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame."

Megadeth

The Frozen Throne bonus campaign contains a mission named 'Countdown to Extinction' after the Megadeth song and album of the same name.

Pantera

A part of the orc campaign is called "By Demons Be Driven", this a reference to the Pantera song of the same name.

Metallica

Rexxar, The Beastmaster, says "Where I lay my head is home! You see that rock? That's my pillow!". "Where I lay my head is home" is one of the lines in Metallica's song "Wherever I May Roam" from the Black Album.

Bandit: "I'm a rover, wanderer, nomad, vagabond... Call me what you will!". Another reference to "Wherever I May Roam".

The Beatles

"I'm the fifth Beatle." - Crypt Lord. A reference to that many people claim certain people deserve being called a "fifth" member of The Beatles, or a term used to reference people who at some point had a strong association with The Beatles.

"Flash... *roar* ...aaaAAAAaaa..." –Wind Rider. This line, heard when you keep on clicking this unit, is probably a reference to the Queen song "Flash", where it was used as part of the lyrics. It was also used as a soundtrack to the movie "Flash Gordon".

Other

"Fukui-san! Yes, go ahead. What the Iron Troll is doing right now is putting heads in a pot. They have to boil for 20 minutes so the eyes can be used in a second dish, an eye and raspberry sorbet. Mmmm, Sounds good!" – Troll Witch Doctor.

The Simpsons

"My eyes! The goggles do nothing!" – Foot soldier. Uttered during the "filming of Warcraft III" blooper reel of the end credits. This is a reference to the Radioactive Man movie episode of the Simpsons, when actor Rainier Wolfcastle tries to protect himself from a giant wave of acid by putting on a pair of tiny protective goggles.

"D'oh!" Annoyed Peasant or Dryad. It's Homer Simpson's most famous catchphrase. In the case of the Dryad, "D'oh!" is spelled "Doe" which is a female deer which technically, is what a Dryad is.

Homestar Runner

In one of the levels, a soldier guarding Prince Kael's cell is named "Trogdar". Referencing the Dragon, "Trogdor". In a twist of irony, he is killed (i.e. burninated) by Lady Vashj.

Rifleman's Creed

"This is my owl. There are many like it, but this one is mine." – Huntress. This line is also famously used in the movies Full Metal Jacket and Jarhead.

I Love Lucy

"Lucyyy" – Troll Headhunter. Said in the same manner as 'Ricky Ricardo'.

Smokey the Bear

"Only you can prevent forest fires." – Druid of the Claw.

"This bear with the forest hat keeps following me around!" – Firelord

Weakest Link

"You are the weakest Lich, Goodbye!" is one of Lich's annoyed phrases.

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness

Music

"Every little thing she does" is the cheat code for unlimited mana and all spells researched; in reference to The Police's song "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic".

Film and television

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The map cheat code of "onscreen" and the fast build cheat of "makeitso" are references to 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. They are both commands often given by Captain Picard.

The invulnerability cheat of "It is a good day to die" is also from the show; it is a 'Klingon' proverb. Its root origin was from the battle of Thermopylae. It was one of the responses Leonidas gave to the Persian emissary when he was asked to surrender as he had no chance of winning. Star Trek gets it from this historical reference.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

The sword fighting sound effect is lifted directly from the Black Knight scene in the Holy Grail.

Video Games

Command & Conquer - Tiberian Dawn

The hidden song "I'm A Medieval Man" is a parody of the song "I'm A Mechanical Man"

To reveal the entire map (much like black sheep wall in StarCraft), you type this. It is a reference to Sally Shears, a recurring character from the "Sprawl trilogy" series of books by "William Gibson".